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TRANSLATIONS OF EARLY DOCUMENTS 

SERIES I 

PALESTINIAN JEWISH TEXTS 

(PRE-RABBINIC) 



THE APOCALYPSE OF 

BARUCH 



e, • 






^ vi Q 1 I ^ ^ 






THE APOCALYPSE 
OF BARUCH 






BY THE 

REV. CANON R. H. CHARLES, D.D. 

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY THE 

REV. W. O. E. OESTERLEY, D.D. 



SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING 
CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE 

LONDON: 68, HAYMARKET, S.W. i. 
NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

1918 



&6 






First Edition 1917 








EDITORS' PREFACE 

The object of this series of translations is primarily 
to furnish students with short, cheap, and handy 
text-books, which, it is hoped, will facilitate the 
study of the particular texts in class under com- 
petent teachers. But it is also hoped that the 
volumes will be acceptable to the general reader 
who may be interested in the subjects with which 
they deal. It has been thought advisable, as a 
general rule, to restrict the notes and comments to 
a small compass; more especially as, in most cases, 
excellent works of a more elaborate character are 
available. Indeed, it is much to be desired that 
these translations may have the effect of inducing 
readers to study the larger works. 

Our principal aim, in a word, is to make some 
difficult texts, important for the study of Christian 
origins, more generally accessible in faithful and 
scholarly translations. 

In most cases these texts are not available in a 
cheap and handy form. In one or two cases texts 
have been included of books which are available 
in the official Apocrypha ; but in every such case 
reasons exist for putting forth these texts in a new 
translation, with an Introduction, in this series. 

We desire to express our sincere thanks to Canon 
Charles and Messrs. A. & C. Black for permission 
to reprint the text as published in the 1896 edition 
of The Apocalypse of Baruch, but with the improve- 
ments and corrections as contained in the text 
published by the Oxford University Press in The 
Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament , 
vol. ii. pp. 481-526 (1913). 

W. O. E. Oesterley. 
G. H. Box. 



INTRODUCTION 

Title and Relation to the Book of Baruch 

There are several books of Baruch which have 
come down to us; it will be well to enumerate them, 
as otherwise the number of them is apt to cause 
confusion. Our present book is known as the Syriac 
Apocalypse of Baruch ; it is so called because it is 
only extant in a Syriac translation. Next, there is 
the Book of Baruch in our official Apocrypha ; on the 
relationship between these two, see below (pp. viii f.). 
Then there is the Greek Apocalypse of Baruch, a title 
which is given to it because its earliest extant form 
is Greek; x it exists in only one Greek manuscript. 
It is very doubtful whether any connection is to be 
discerned between this book and that under con- 
sideration. Further, there is the Rest of the Words 
of Baruch, a book entirely independent of our Apoca- 
lypse ; the same is true of the work known as the 
Gnostic Book of Baruch. 2 It is different with the 
Latin Book of Baruch, which, according to Charles, 
" is clearly based on our Apocalypse/' And lastly, 
there is a Book of Baruch quoted in an ancient work, 3 
but of this nothing further is known. 

It may be wondered why there was such a con- 
siderable Baruch literature, for we can hardly suppose 
that the books mentioned represent more than a 

1 An abridged Slavonic version is also extant. 

2 Little is known of this; it is referred to and utilized in 
Hippolytus' Philosophumena, v. 24-27 (Charles). 

3 See Harnack, Texte und Untersuchungen, Band i. Heft 3 

(1883). 

vii 



viii INTRODUCTION 

part of those written under the pseudonym of 
Baruch ; 1 but the fact is that, whatever may have 
been the reason, a good deal of legend clustered round 
the name of Baruch in ancient times among the 
Jews, and it was one which evidently enjoyed much 
popularity. An example of legend attaching to 
him is the following which is concerned with his 
grave : " An Arabian king once ordered it to be 
opened ; but all who touched it fell dead. The king 
thereupon commanded the Jews to open it ; and 
they, after preparing themselves by a three days' 
fast, succeeded without a mishap. Baruch's body 
was found intact in a marble coffin, and appeared as 
if he had just died. The king ordered that it should 
be transported to another place ; but, after having 
dragged the coffin a little distance, the horses and 
camels were unable to move it another inch. The 
king, greatly excited by these wonders, went with his 
retinue to Mohammed to ask his advice. Arrived 
at Mecca, his doubts of the truth of the teachings of 
Islam greatly increased, and he and his courtiers 
finally accepted Judaism. The king then built a 
' Beth-ha-midrash ' 2 on the spot from which he had 
been unable to move Baruch's body; and this 
academy served for a long time as a place of pil- 
grimage/ ' 3 Many other legends regarding Baruch 
are preserved in ancient Jewish literature ; so that, 
since he clearly occupied a considerable place in 
popular thought at one time, it is not a matter of 
surprise that, in common with other Jewish worthies 
of old, he should have had books ascribed to him. 
A point of some interest, showing a certain connec- 
tion between our book and the Book of Baruch in the 
Apocrypha, is dealt with by Charles. 4 In lxxvii. 
12, 17, 19 an epistle is referred to which had been 
written to the exiles in Babylon by Baruch; it is 

1 Cp. the Enoch, Noah, and Abraham and Moses literature. 

2 An academy of learning. 

3 Jewish Encyclopedia, ii. 548 b (1902). 

4 The Apocalypse of Baruch, pp. lxv ff. (1896), - 



9 

INTRODUCTION ix 

" an epistle of doctrine and a scroll of good tidings/' 
which is sent " by means of men/ The exiles in 
Babylon, who belonged to the southern kingdom, 
represented two and a half tribes, Judah and Ben- 
jamin, and half the tribe of Manasseh. This epistle 
to the two and a half tribes has been lost; but 
Charles believes that in the Book of Baruch in the 
Apocrypha, i. 1-4, hi. 9-iv. 29, we have a recast of 
this lost epistle, or, at all events, that this passage 
is based upon it. There is a high probability that 
Charles is right, as the following details will show. 
The lost epistle was addressed to the two and a half 
tribes in captivity in Babylon ; this is also the case 
with the letter of Baruch referred to in Bar. i. 1-4, 
iii. 9-iv. 29. The lost epistle is described as one of 

1 doctrine and a scroll of good tidings " (Apoc. Bar., 
lxxvii. 12) ; this fully corresponds with the writing 
in Bar. iii. 9-iv. 29, where, among other things, 
these words occur : " Learn where is wisdom, where 
is strength, where is understanding; that thou 
mayest know also where is length of days, and peace " 
(Bar. iii. 14); see also verses 24-37 for doctrine. 
Then, as to its being an epistle of good tidings to 
those in captivity the following verses clearly show : 

c Be of good cheer, my people, the memorial of 
Israel. Ye were sold to the nations, but not for 
destruction . . ." (Bar. iv. 5, 6). " For he that 
brought these plagues upon you will deliver you 
from the hands of your enemies. ... Be of good 
cheer, O my children, cry unto God, and he shall 
deliver you from the power and hand of the enemies. 
. . . God will give you to me again with joy and 
gladness for ever. For like as now they that dwell 
about Sion have seen your captivity : so shall they 
see shortly your salvation from our God, which shall 
come upon you with great glory, and brightness of 
the Everlasting . . /' (Bar. iv. 18-24). And once 
more : " Be of good cheer, O my children, and cry 
unto God : for ye shall be remembered of him that 
hath brought these things upon you. . . . For he 



x INTRODUCTION 

that brought these plagues upon you, shall bring you 
everlasting joy again with your salvation. Be of 
good cheer, O Jerusalem ; for he that called thee by 
name will comfort thee " (Bar. iv. 27-30). 

A connection between these two books seems thus 
to be clearly established. The point, though a small 
one, is not without its interest and importance, as 
showing how some of these ancient books can be 
elucidated one from the other; and also as offering 
an example of how an ancient tradition (or, as the 
case may be, an ancient document) is utilized by 
different writers. 

Authorship 

Scholars are not agreed as to whether our book 
is to be regarded as the work of one or more authors. 
Apart from minor additions and redactional elements, 
concerning the existence of which there can be no 
two opinions, composite authorship is contended 
for on the following grounds : irreconcilable, or at 
least conflicting, views regarding the Messiah and the 
Messianic Kingdom; opposing attitudes in respect 
of various important theological subjects, such as 
the nature of the resurrection body, sin, free-will, 
and works ; a strong optimism in some parts of the 
books, contrasted with an equally pronounced 
pessimism in others ; and the treatment of the same 
subject more than once without any apparent reason, 
such as a new thought or developed ideas on the 
subject previously dealt with. 1 But while those 
scholars who contend for composite authorship are 
agreed upon the general principle, they differ widely 
when they come to details ; indeed, as to these, there 
is a very small amount of agreement among them. 
On the other hand, it has been pointed out with much 

1 See Kdbisch, Jahrbiicher fiir Protestantische Theologie, 
1891, pp. 66-107; De Faye, Les Apocalypses Juives, passim, 
(1892); Charles, The Apocalypse of Baruch, pp. liii-lxv 
(1896). 



INTRODUCTION xi 

learning that the conflicting views and opposed stand- 
points presented in the book do not necessarily compel 
one to see difference of authorship. 1 Nobody will 
deny nowadays that the apocalyptic writers largely 
utilized traditional matter in writing their books; 
but this traditional matter, from its very nature, 
containing as it did floating material of different 
ages, must often have presented variety of view on 
certain subjects; and the apocalyptists, who incor- 
porated much of this traditional matter in their 
writings, were not concerned to harmonize dis- 
crepancies which they found there, for time-honoured 
tradition was sacred in the eyes of these ancient 
writers. So that when we find conflicting views in 
an apocalyptic work such as that of Baruch, it need 
not necessarily imply composite authorship. 

Prof. Burkitt, who does not see sufficient grounds 
for regarding our book as composite, suggests a 
further reason why in apocalypses we must be pre- 
pared for a certain amount of inconsistency; he 
says : " Speaking generally, it may be said that the 
division of Apocalypses into their original conjectured 
constituents is an extremely delicate task, for it 
assumes that these anticipations, these dreams of 
the future, will be self -consistent. A certain degree 
of consistency we must indeed expect. The work 
of the same man will, to a certain extent, always 
breathe the same spirit. But his pictures of the 
future will not always harmonize in detail. More- 
over, I venture to think that we must allow for the 
disturbing influence of real Visions, i. e. pictures seen 
by the writer in dream or ectasy. There has probably 
been every grade of imaginative writing in this class 
of literature." 2 This is an important consideration, 
and should be given due weight when the question 
of the composite authorship, or otherwise, of an 
apocalyptic work arises; for it is evident that the 

1 Clemen, in the Theologische Studien und Kritiken, 1898 
(p. 211 ff.). 

2 Jewish and Christian Apocalypses, p. 40 f. (1914). 



xii INTRODUCTION 

seer, to whom a vision is a divinely sent message, 
will give the details of what has come to him in 
accordance with his experience, and will not be 
troubled if this happens not to coincide with something 
that he has already written. 

But a further reason against the composite author- 
ship of our book is advanced by Clemens, who has 
shown that a number of supposed discrepancies are 
due to faulty translation of the Syriac, and that 
many of them disappear when the text is rightly 
understood. For details of this recourse must be 
had to his learned essay. 1 

The case for composite authorship is thus shown 
to be considerably weakened ; 2 while not denying 
the possibility that our book may have come from 
the hand of more than one author, we do not see 
that this is necessarily so. That some isolated 
passages were added later will be generally conceded. 

Date 

Assuming substantial unity of authorship for our 
book we have one or two definite indications as to 
the approximate date at which it was written ; we 
say approximate, for even on the assumption of 
unity of authorship one is not compelled to regard it 
as having all been written at one and the same time. 
From xxxii. 2-4 it is clear that Jerusalem has fallen ; 
the book must, therefore, have been written after 
the year a.d. 70, though there is no reason why 
some portions of it should not belong to a slightly 
earlier period. On the other hand, it is improbable 
that it was written much later than a.d. 100 on 
account of its affinity with ii. (iv.) Ezra; both books 

1 Referred to in note 1 on p. xi. 

1 Unity of authorship is contended for by Ryssel, in 
Kautzsch's Die Syrische Baruchapokalypse, in " Die Apokry- 
phen und Pseudipigraphen des A.T.," ii. p. 409 (1900) ; 
Ginzberg, in the Jewish Encyclopedia, ii. 555 a (1902); 
Schurer, Geschichte des jiidischen Volkes, iii. p. 312 (1909). 



/ 

INTRODUCTION xiii 

belong to the same period. For the date of ii. (iv.) 
Ezra see Box's edition in this Series, p. vii. 

Language 

As already mentioned, the only extant form of this 
apocalypse is in Syriac; this version is, however, a 
translation from the Greek, which is proved by the 
Syriac rendering of many words and passages, as well 
as by " certain corruptions in the text which are 
explicable only on the hypothesis that the translator 
misinterpreted the Greek, or else found the corruption 
already existing there/' * 

If further proof were required it would be found 
in the fact that in the one Syriac manuscript 2 which 
contains the whole text the superscription runs : 
" The writing of the Apocalypse of Baruch, the son 
of Neriah, translated from Greek into Syriac/ This 
Greek form has almost entirely disappeared; only 
two passages are extant, viz. xii. i-xiii. 2 and xiii. 
2-xiv. 2 ; these were discovered by Grenf ell and 
Hunt, and published by them in vol. hi. of the 
Oxyrhynchus Papyri, pp. 3-7 (1903). But neither 
is the Greek form the original one. The thoroughly 
Jewish character of the whole book would offer a 
prima facie presumption that it must have been 
originally written in either Hebrew or Aramaic ; but 
Charles has definitely proved that the original 
language of the book was Hebrew ; 3 so much so 
that this question may be regarded as finally settled. 

Contents 

The book purports to have been written by Baruch ; 
the first person is used throughout ; and he recounts 

1 Charles, op. cit., pp. xliii f . 

2 A sixth-century Peshitta (i. e. Syriac Vulgate) manu- 
script discovered by Ceriani in the Milan (Ambrosian) 
library, and published by him in his Monumenta sacra et 
profana, torn. v. fasc. 2, pp. 113-180 (1871). 

8 Op. cit.. pp. xliv-liii. 



xiv INTRODUCTION 

what befell him immediately before and after the 
destruction of Jerusalem. The not uncommon device 
is employed of transferring the time and scene to a 
period in the past, but the narrative is to be under- 
stood as referring to the present time from the 
writer's point of view. The book may be con- 
veniently divided into seven sections, 1 the general 
contents of which are as follows : 

Section I (i.-xii.). God announces to Baruch the 
impending fall of Jerusalem and the break-up of 
the State of Judah. Baruch is stricken with sorrow ; 
but God comforts him with the words : 

" My name and my glory are unto all eternity; 
And my judgement shall maintain its right in its 
own time." 

The Chaldaeans then appear before the city. But 
it is not the Chaldaeans themselves who destroy the 
city ; this is accomplished by four angels of God : 
" And I beheld, and lo ! four angels standing at the 
four corners of the city, each of them holding a torch 
of fire in his hands/' Then the Chaldaeans enter 
the city and carry the people away captive. They 
are accompanied by Jeremiah ; but to Baruch it is 
said : "Do thou remain here amid the desolation of 
Zion, and I will show to thee after these days what 
will befall at the end of days." 

Section II (xiii.-xx.). God tells Baruch that he 
shall be preserved " to the consummation of the 
times " ; his people have been punished in order 
that they might be sanctified ; but the godless shall 
by no means go unpunished, retribution will overtake 
them in due time. God further instructs Baruch 
concerning the anomaly of the prosperity of the 
godless and the affliction of the godly. 

Section III (xxi.-xxxiv.). Baruch withdraws into 
a cave in the valley of the Cedron, and fasts for 

1 This is the division adopted by Schiirer {op. cit., iii. 
pp. 305-309) ; for sub-divisions see the translation below. 



INTRODUCTION xv 

seven days ; then he offers up prayer to God in which 
doubts and perplexity regarding God's dealings with 
men are expressed. He desires to know when 
punishment is to overtake the wicked, and how long 
that tribulation will last. In reply to this he is told 
that that time is divided into twelve parts, during 
each of which a special tribulation will come upon the 
unrighteous. Then Baruch enquires further whether 
this time of tribulation will be for the whole earth 
or only part of it. God tells him it shall be for the 
whole earth ; but that when that time is passed the 
Messiah will be manifested, and the Messianic era 
will commence. A description of this follows (xxix. 
4-8). After having received this revelation Baruch 
calls together the elders of his people in the valley 
of the Cedron, and tells them that soon " everything 
that existeth shall become the prey of corruption and 
be as though it had not been ; ' ; they, however, are 
to observe the Law which will protect them during 
that terrible time. 

Section IV (xxxv.-xlvi.). Baruch goes to the Holy 
Place, and sits down in the midst of the ruins, lament- 
ing. Then he falls asleep and has a vision. There 
is a forest in a plain surrounded by mountains ; and 
over against it there grows a vine from beneath 
which a fountain flowed peacefully; but when it 
reached the forest great waves arose from it, and the 
forest became submerged, and both forest and 
mountains were swept away ; one cedar tree alone is 
left. And the vine says to the cedar : " Art thou 
not that cedar which was left of the forest of wicked- 
ness, and by whose means wickedness persisted, and 
was wrought all those years, and goodness never ? " 
Then after further words, the vine says : " Do thou 
also depart, O cedar, after the forest, which departed 
before thee, and become dust with it, and let your 
ashes be mingled together/' And presently the 
cedar is burned, but the vine continues growing, and 
the plain becomes full of unfading flowers. Then 
Baruch awoke, and asked God the meaning of the 



// 

xvi INTRODUCTION 

vision. God tells him this in the following words : 
" Behold ! the days come, and this kingdom will be 
destroyed which once destroyed Zion, and it will be 
subjected to that which cometh after it. Moreover, 
that also again after a time will be destroyed, and 
another, a third, will arise, and that also will have 
dominion for its time, and will be destroyed. And 
after these things a fourth kingdom will arise, whose 
power will be harsh and evil far beyond those which 
were before it, and it will rule many times as the 
forests on the plain, and it will hold fast for times, 
and will exalt itself more than the cedars of Lebanon. 
And by it the truth will be hidden, and all those 
who are polluted with iniquity will flee to it, as evil 
beasts flee and creep into the forest. And it will 
come to pass when the time of its consummation 
that it should fall has approached, then the principate 
of my Messiah will be revealed, which is like the 
fountain and the vine, and when it is revealed it 
will root out the multitude of its host. And as 
touching that which thou hast seen, the lofty cedar, 
which was left of that forest, and the fact that 
the vine spoke those words with it which thou didst 
hear, this is the word/' It is then explained that 
this cedar is the last prince who will withstand the 
Messiah; he shall be destroyed by the Messiah, 
whose empire will then be established and continue 
as long as this world lasts. The lot of the apostates 
and proselytes, respectively, is pronounced. Baruch 
is then told to fast again, and prepare himself to 
receive further revelations. 

Section V (xlvii.-lii.). After a prayer, Baruch re- 
ceives these further revelations from God; these 
deal mainly with the terrors which shall come to 
pass in the last time. Then Baruch asks that he 
may be granted knowledge concerning the nature of 
the resurrection body of the righteous. He is told 
that the earth will assuredly restore the dead; "it 
shall make no change in their form, but as it has 
received, so shall it restore them/' The remainder 



INTRODUCTION xvii 

of the section deals with the blessed state of the 
righteous, and the torments of the wicked. 

Section VI (liii.-lxxvi.). Baruch has another vision. 
A cloud ascends out of the sea and covers the whole 
earth. First it rains down black water, then the 
water becomes bright. This interchange continues 
twelve times. Last of all very black waters come 
from it, and they bring devastation and destruction. 
Then Ughtning, seen on the summit of the cloud, 
seizes the cloud and hurls it to the earth, which is 
wholly illuminated by the lightning; and the 
lightning heals all those parts of the earth which had 
been devastated by the cloud, and holds dominion 
over the whole earth. Afterwards twelve rivers 
ascend from the sea, and they too become subject 
to the lightning. Then Baruch awakes, and seeks 
an explanation of the vision ; this is given him by the 
angel Ramiel. The cloud is the present world ; the 
alternate black and bright waters are respectively 
happy and untoward happenings during the history 
of Israel. The final bright waters are the times of 
the Messiah. Baruch thanks God for the revelation 
that he has received. He is then bidden after forty 
days to go to the summit of a mountain whence he 
will see all the regions of the earth ; then he will be 
taken from the earth. 

Section VII (lxxvii.— lxxxvii.). Baruch admonishes 
his people, and at their request sends letters to the 
nine and a half tribes, and to the two and a half tribes 
in Babylon. The contents of the latter of these are 
not given (see above, pp. viii ff .) ; in the former he tells 
his hearers that it was a righteous judgement of God 
which came upon them, namely the destruction of 
Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and the carrying 
away captive of the inhabitants; but he further 
declares to them that punishment is reserved for their 
oppressors, while they themselves shall be delivered. 
He, finally, urges them to be faithful to God, and to 
observe His Law. The book ends here ; but the 
detailed account of the contents of the first letter 

B 



xviii INTRODUCTION 

leads one to expect the same of the second. It is 
probable that this was contained in the original form 
of the book (see lxxvii. 19). One would also expect, 
in view of chapter lxxvi., that some account would 
have been given of what Baruch saw on the summit 
of the mountain ; as also some further reference to 
his assumption. The absence of these has led many 
scholars to believe that the book as we now have it 
is not complete. 

Importance of the Book for the Study of 

Christian Origins 

The principle laid down by Christ in the words : 
" I came not to destroy, but to fulfil," is one the far- 
reaching character and effect of which is sometimes 
apt to be overlooked. While there was much in the 
Jewish religion which required " fulfilling/' i. e. 
perfecting and bringing to its proper development, 
there was also much which was good and' sufficient. 
The contrast between Judaism and Christianity 
does not lie so much in antagonism as in the inadequacy 
of the former, as well as in its want of proportion. 
For example, the Jewish doctrine of God at its best 
(we are not thinking of many of the popular con- 
ceptions reflected in the Old Testament) can, as far 
as it goes, be whole-heartedly accepted by Christians ; 
it does not present the fulness of revelation on the 
subject, but so far as the Fatherhood of God and the 
divine characteristics, as portrayed in the prophetical 
books and in the Psalms, are concerned, it offers all 
that Christianity itself can offer. It is inadequate 
because it does not teach, and could not be expected 
to teach, the truths concerning the fulness of the 
Godhead. Again, regarding the doctrine of grace 
and free-will, with which is indissolubly bound up 
the doctrine of works, it is not so much difference 
of doctrinal teaching which here sets Judaism and 
Christianity in opposition, but the want of due 
proportion on the part of the former. Judaism does 



INTRODUCTION xix 

not deny the indispensable need of divine grace, 
but it accords to human free-will undue prominence, 
so that one is sometimes left in doubt as to whether 
belief in prevenient divine grace is really considered 
necessary. Christianity is very far from denying 
the indispensable need of works, but it denies that 
they are per se meritorious; Judaism, on the other 
hand, so extols their merit that, according to its 
teaching, a man is justified in claiming reward from 
God on the basis of them; and if for this purpose 
he is uncertain as to whether he has accumulated 
sufficient good works of his own, he is able to make 
up the deficiency by adding to them any superfluity 
of merit which his fathers may have to their 
account. This doctrine of vicarious justification, 
taught by Judaism, is opposed to Christian teaching, 
not because Christianity denies such a doctrine, but 
because it applies it in a way different from that in 
which Jewish teaching does. Not by the merit of 
men, but by the merit of Jesus Christ, the divine 
Saviour, is a man justified. From Jewish teaching 
it follows that forgiveness of sins is the necessary 
consequence of justification by works; whereas 
Christianity teaches that forgiveness is granted only 
by the love of God through Jesus Christ. Both 
Judaism and Christianity insist upon the need of 
repentance ; but whereas Judaism regards repentance 
■ — being one of the greatest of good works — as in 
itself efficacious for the obliteration of sin, Christianity 
regards repentance merely as a necessary preliminary, 
something that fits a man to become the recipient 
of divine forgiveness. And finally, the Jews believed 
very strongly in the resurrection of the body; but 
it was a purely materialistic belief; the risen body 
was regarded as something material, comparable 
with the earthly body ; Christianity teaches that the 
resurrection body is wholly spiritual. 

Other specifically Jewish doctrines, not referred to 
here, will be touched upon below. 

It will thus be seen that Christianity is truly a 



xx INTRODUCTION 

" fulfilment J ' of Judaism, in the sense that it widens, 
develops, and spiritualizes what had been taught. 
Christianity is the logical development of Judaism. 
It follows that in order to realize the full significance 
of the teaching of the New Testament it must be read 
and studied in the light of its antecedents. It is here 
that the importance of the Apocalypse of Baruch for 
the study of Christian origins comes in, for we have 
represented in it the Judaism which existed in the 
time of Christ and of the Apostles; by the study 
of this book we are able, in a number of ways, to see 
behind the teaching of the New Testament, and to 
understand the point and significance of much which 
without some knowledge of Judaism would not be 
possible. It will, therefore, be profitable to examine 
in some detail the doctrinal teaching of this book, 
and to point out, in passing, its bearing upon the 
teaching of the New Testament. 

Jewish and Christian Teaching 

We do not propose to examine the doctrine of God, 
as our book here represents the general standpoint 
of the Old Testament; it should only be pointed 
out that, speaking generally (there are a few notable 
exceptions), in dealing with the relationship between 
God and man the note of divine justice is that which 
is most prominent. In an apocalypse of the char- 
acter of our book this is rather to be expected. 
Otherwise, the wisdom of God and His omnipotence 
as Creator are most frequently emphasized; there 
is, for example, this fine passage : 

" Who, O Lord, my God, will comprehend Thy 
judgement, 

Or who will search out the profoundness of Thy path? 

Or who will think out the weight of Thy way? 

Or who will be able to think out Thy incompre- 
hensible counsel? 

Or who of those that are born hath found 

The beginning or end of Thy wisdom ? " (xiv. 8, 9). 



INTRODUCTION xxi 

The passage xlviii. 1-24 should also be read; it is a 
prayer of Baruch, and contains some striking verses. 
After the doctrine of God the place of chief honour 
in Jewish teaching was given to the Law ; we speak, 
of course, of that conception of the Law which came 
into existence during the Exile, the practical observ- 
ance of which is reflected in some of the later books 
of the Old Testament, and which flourished from the 
Return onwards with ever-increasing development. 
This new conception of the Law had for its first great 
exponent, Ezra, according to what appears to be a 
reliable tradition. In our book we have an interesting 
passage which tells how, during the Exile, God and 
the Law was all that Israel now had left : 

" But now the righteous have been gathered, 
And the prophets have fallen asleep, 
And we also have gone forth from the land, 
And Zion hath been taken from us ; 
And we have nothing now save the Mighty One 
and His Law " (lxxxv. 3). 

Not infrequently we find this emphasis laid on God 
and the Law, e. g. : 

In Thee do we trust, for lo ! Thy Law is with us, 
And we know that we shall not fall so long as we 

keep Thy statutes. . . . 
For we are all one celebrated people, 
Who have received one Law from One ; 
And the Law which is amongst us will aid us, 
And the surpassing wisdom which is in us will 

help us " (xlviii. 22, 24). 

The Law is extolled in a variety of ways ; the follow- 
ing is instructive : 

: Shepherds and lamps and fountains come from the 

Law, 
And though we depart, yet the Law abideth 

(cp. Hi. 2) ; 
If, therefore, ye have respect to the Law, 



xxii INTRODUCTION 

And are intent upon wisdom, 
A lamp shall not be wanting, 
And a shepherd shall not fail, 
And a fountain shall not dry up " 

(lxxvii. 15, 16; cp. xlvi. 3). 

The Law being what it is, loyalty to it is the 
paramount duty of every Jew ; therefore in our book 
the people are constantly urged to cultivate what 
Ben-Sira's grandson expresses as " a manner of life 
that is in accordance with the Law " ; 1 thus Baruch 
is made to say to the Elders of his people : 

" But withdraw ye not from the way of the Law, 
But guard and admonish the people which remain, 
Lest they withdraw from the commandments of 
the Mighty One " (xliv. 3). 

Tangible rewards are promised to those who observe 
the Law, e. g. : 

" For if ye endure and persevere in His fear, 
And do not forget His Law, 
The times shall change over you for good, 
And ye shall see the consolation of Zion J (xliv. 7). 

In like manner punishment is pronounced against 
those who fail in loyalty to the Law, e. g : 

" And justly do they perish who have not loved Thy 
Law, 
And torment of judgement shall await those who 
have not submitted themselves to Thy power " 

(liv. 14). 

These few quotations show clearly the doctrine 
of the Law as taught in our book ; and this is, as we 
know from other sources, in accordance with the 
orthodox teaching of the Jews both before and during 
the New Testament period and onwards. Observance 
of legal precepts ensures justification, the works of 
the Law are meritorious, they offer hope for the 
future, the Law is a stay, something which can be 



1 Prologue to Ecclesiasticus, 



INTRODUCTION xxiii 

trusted in. When one realizes that this was taught 
and held by the Jews in St. Paul's time one is enabled 
to' grasp more fully the point and significance of 
much that he says upon the subject. How instruc- 
tive, for example, are St. Paul's words that " by the 
works of the Law shall no flesh be justified " (Rom. hi. 
20 ; cp. Gal. ii. 16 ff., hi. n), in view of such teaching 
as this : " Also (as for) the glory of those who have 
now been justified in My Law, who have had under- 
standing in their life, and who have planted in their 
heart the root of wisdom, then their splendour shall 
be glorified in changes, and the form of their face shall 
be turned into the light of their beauty, that they 
may be able to acquire and receive the world which 
doth not die, which is then promised to them " (li. 3). 
And again a few verses further on it says : 

" But those who have been saved by their works, 
And to whom the Law hath been now a hope, 
And understanding an expectation, 
And wisdom a confidence, 
To them shall wonders appear in their time. 
For they shall behold the world which is now 

invisible to them, 
And they shall behold the time which is now 

hidden from them ; 
And time shall no longer age them. . . ." 

(li. 7-14). 

That a man is saved by his own works, that the 
Law is his hope, and that eternal life is to be acquired 
by the observance of legal precepts — all this represents 
orthodox Jewish teaching of the times; and it is in 
the light of such teaching that one must read the 
Pauline passages quoted, and many others that will 
suggest themselves. In view of the Jewish teaching 
on the Law it is natural enough that in our book we 
should find the author speaking of " the lamp of the 
eternal Law ' (lix. 2) ; but St. Paul lays stress on the 
; passing away ' of the covenant of the Law, see, 
e. g. 2 Cor. hi. 7-11. Regarding one point, indeed, 



xxiv INTRODUCTION 

we find an interesting parallelism of thought between 
the writer of this book and St. Paul on the subject 
of the Law, and this merits a passing notice. In 
xv. 5, 6 the following words are put into the mouth 
of the Almighty : " Man would not rightly have 
understood My judgement if he had not accepted 
the Law, and I had instructed him in understanding. 
But now, because he transgressed wittingly, yea, 
just on this ground that he wot thereof [i. e. that 
he knew the Law], he shall be tormented/ With 
this thought compare St. Paul's words : " Howbeit, 
I had not known sin except through the Law ; for I 
had not known coveting except the Law had said, 
Thou shalt not covet . . .' : (Rom. vii. 7 ff., cp. iv. 
15, v. 20, etc.). 

One other point regarding the Law is worth men- 
tioning. As is well known, the " traditional " or 
" oral Law " played a great part in Judaism, and it 
is interesting to find it definitely mentioned in our 
book, viz. in lvii. 1 it is said that in the time of 
Abraham and of his sons " the unwritten Law was 
named amongst them/ As Charles, in his note on 
the passage, says : " This statement proceeds from 
the same spirit which animates the entire Book of 
Jubilees, and which seeks to trace traditionalism 
and its observances to the times of the patriarchs. 
In later Judaism there were manifold attempts of 
this nature/' 1 The " traditions of the Law ' are 
also referred to in lxxxiv. 9. Christ's words regarding 
this are well known : " Full well do ye reject the 
commandment of God, that ye may keep your tradi- 
tion " (Mark vii. 9, see also vii. 1-5, Matt. xv. 2 ff., 
Gal. i. 14). Finally, the expression "the yoke of 
Thy Law," used in xli. 3 in reference to the wicked 
who have withdrawn from God's covenant, recalls 
Christ's words in Matt. xi. 29, 30 : " Take my yoke 
upon you, and learn of me. . . . For my yoke is 
easy, and my burden is light/' It is difficult not 
to believe that a contrast is here implicitly made 

* Op. cit, p. 99. 



INTRODUCTION xxv 

between the yoke of the Law and rendering obedience 
to Him, especially when one treads the context 
about the legal requirements of Sabbath observance. 
Intimately connected with the teaching on the Law 
are the subjects of Works, Grace and Free-will, Sin, 
Forgiveness, and Justification, which necessarily 
largely interlace. Our book, as already indicated, 
has much to say on these. Perhaps the clearest 
expression in the book of the efficacy of good works 
in attaining eternal life is contained in xiv. 12, 13 : 
" For the righteous justly hope for the end, and with- 
out fear depart from this habitation, because they 
have with Thee a store of works preserved in trea- 
suries. On this account also these without fear 
leave this w T orld, and trusting with joy they hope to 
receive the world which Thou hast promised them " 
(cp. xliv. 14, and li. 7, quoted above). Again, in 
lxiii. 3, 5 it is said of Hezekiah that he " trusted in 
his works, and had hope in his righteousness. . . . 

And the Mighty One heard him, for Hezekiah was wise, 
And He had respect unto his prayer, because he was 
righteous "; (see also lxxxv. 2). 

But good works avail not only for him who accom- 
plishes them, they can also be used for the forgiveness 
and justification of others; thus it is said of Zion 
that ' f on account of the works of those who wrought 
good works she should be forgiven '' (xiv. 7) ; and 
the people are bidden to appeal to be reconciled to 
God on the ground of their father's righteousness : 
' And at all times make request perseveringly and 
pray diligently with your whole heart that the 
Mighty One may be reconciled to you, and that He 
may not reckon the multitude of your sins, but 
remember the rectitude of your fathers " (lxxxiv. 10). 
In contrast to this we have the words of Christ : 
" When ye shall have done all the things that are 
commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; 
we have done that which it was our duty to do " 
(Luke xvii. 10). St. Paul teaches: "We reckon, 



xxvi INTRODUCTION 

therefore, that a man is justified by faith apart from 
the works of the Law J ' (Rom. iii. 28) ;"'..'. knowing 
that a man is not justified, by the works of the Law, 
save through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed 
on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith 
in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; because 
by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified " 
(Gal. ii. 16, cp. iii. 10) ; " . . . for by grace have ye 
been saved through faith; and that not of your- 
selves : it is the gift of God ; not of works, that no 
man should glory " (Eph. ii. 8, 9). 

The doctrine of Sin follows closely upon this, 
together with the subject of human Free-will and 
divine Grace. The teaching of the book on Sin is 
inconsistent; it is taught, on the one hand, that Sin, 
the origin of which is traced to Adam, brought 
physical death in its train, viz. : " For what did it 
profit Adam that he lived nine hundred and thirty 
years, and transgressed that which he was com- 
manded? Therefore the multitude of time that he 
lived did not profit him, but brought death and cut 
off the years of those who were born from him ' 
(xvii. 2, 3) ; the implication is that had Adam not 
sinned he would have been immortal (cp. Gen. iii. 22). 
Again : " Because when Adam sinned and death 
was decreed against those who should be born . . / 
(xxiii. 4, cp. xviii. 2). The same is taught in liv. 
15-19, but it is added that, nevertheless, each man 
is responsible for his own sin : 

" For though Adam first sinned, 
And brought untimely death upon all, 
Yet of those who were born from him 
Each one of them hath prepared his own soul for 

torment to come ; 
And, again, each one of them hath chosen for 

himself glories to come. . . . 
Adam is, therefore, not the cause, save only of his 

own soul, 
But each of us hath been the Adam of his own soul.' J 



INTRODUCTION xxvii 

Here, therefore, Adam's sin, though it has brought 
physical death upon the world, is not responsible for 
the spiritual death of man. But, on the other hand, 
it is taught in other passages that spiritual death, 
too, has been the result of Adam's sin, viz. : 

" O Adam, what hast thou done to all those who 
are born of thee ? 
And what will be said to the first Eve who heark- 
ened to the serpent ? 1 
For all this multitude are going to corruption, 
Nor is there any numbering of those whom the fire 
devoureth " (xlviii. 42, 43). 

But with this must be read the words which immedi- 
ately follow ; for they again bring in the teaching on 
man's free-will and responsibility; it is man's own 
fault that spiritual death is his lot. It will also be 
noticed, however, that the thought of predestination 
finds expression : 

" But again I will speak in Thy presence. Thou 
O Lord, my Lord, knowest what is in Thy creature. 
For Thou didst of old command the dust to produce 
Adam, and Thou knowest the number of those who 
are born from him, and how far they have sinned 
before Thee, who have existed, and not confessed 
Thee as their Creator. And as regards all these their 
end shall convict them, and Thy Law which they 
have transgressed shall requite them on Thy day " 
(xlviii. 44-47). One more passage must be quoted 
as it expresses an extreme view of the dire results 
of Adam's sin : 

" For since when he transgressed 2 
Untimely death came into being, 

1 Cp. Ecclus. xxv. 24 : 

" From a woman did sin originate, 
And because of her we all must die." 

See also Enoch lxix. 6, 2 Cor. xi. 3. 

2 The preceding verse speaks of Adam's transgression. 



xxviii INTRODUCTION 

Grief was named, 

And anguish was prepared, 

And pain was created, 

And trouble consummated, 

And disease began to be established, 

And Sheol kept demanding that it should be 

renewed in blood, 
And the begetting of children was brought about, 
And the passion of parents produced, 
And the greatness of humanity was humiliated, 
And goodness languished " (lvi. 6). 

Taking all these passages together — and it may be 
claimed that they fairly represent the teaching of our 
book on the subject — one sees that there is a certain 
inconsistency of thought. But this is scarcely to be 
wondered at, and it certainly does not necessarily 
imply that more than one writer's views are repre- 
sented. The author is simply trying to reconcile a 
traditional theory of the origin of sin with the facts 
of human life ; and they are irreconcileable. He 
was bv no means the first to be involved in similar 
inconsistencies when dealing with this subject. 1 
" The ancient mythical religion had certainly con- 
nected physical evil with Adam's sin ; but when , 
after the Exile, the individual, as contrasted with the 
nation, became more prominently an object of con- 
sideration, difficulties doubtless began to appear to 
which the answer of the old theology was felt to be 
incomplete/' 2 Our author doubtless had such diffi- 
culties, and the result of his seeking to solve them 
resulted in inconsistencies. There is something very 
natural about that. But his teaching has. a distinct 
interest when studied side by side with that of St. 
Paul on the same subject. " Therefore, as through 
one man sin entered into the world and death through 
sin ; and so death passed unto all men, for that all 

1 See, for other examples, the writer's Ecclesiasticus (Cam- 
bridge Bible), p. lviii ff. (191 2). 

8 Tennant, in the Journal of Theological Studies, ii. p. 209. 



INTRODUCTION xxix 

sinned. . . . Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam 
until Moses, even over them that had not sinned 
after the likeness of Adam's transgression . . / 
(Rom. vi. 12 ff., cp. i Cor. xv. 21). With this should 
be read Rom. vii. 7-25, and it is possible that we 
shall come to the conclusion that St. Paul felt some 
of the same difficulties that our author did as to the 
origin of Sin. 

Finally, a few words must be said about the teaching 
in this book on the Resurrection, and on the nature 
of the Resurrection-body. And here it must suffice 
to quote some verses from the very interesting 
passage xlix. i-li. 10, and to compare it with 1 Cor. xv ; 
that there must have been at the back of St. Paul's 
mind the teaching represented in our book will 
become more apparent the more carefully the two 
passages are compared : 

" In what shape will those live who live in Thy day? 
Or how will the splendour of those who (are) after 

that time continue ? 
Will they then resume this form of the present, 
And put on these entrammelling members, 
Which are now involved in evils, 
And in which evils are consummated ; 
Or wilt Thou perchance change these things which 

have been in the world, 
As also the world? " 
And He answered and said unto me : " Hear, 

Baruch, this word, 
And write in the remembrance of Thy heart all 

that thou shalt learn. 
For the earth shall then assuredly restore the dead, 
Which it now receiveth, in order to preserve them. 
It shall make no change in their form, 
But as it hath received, so shall it restore them, 
And as I delivered them unto it, so also shall it 

raise them. 

For then it will be necessary to show to the living 
that the dead have come to life again, and that 



xxx INTRODUCTION 

those who had departed have returned again. And 
it shall come to pass, when they have severally 
recognized those who m^ they now know, then judge- 
ment shall grow strong, and those things which before 
were spoken of shall come. . . ." 

There are also other passages in different parts 
of the book which are not without importance in this 
connection, e. g. : 

" For if there were this life only which belongeth to 
all men, nothing could be more bitter than this ' 
(xxi. 13) ; with this compare 1 Cor. xv. 19 : " If in 
this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all 
men most pitiable ." Again, with the words in xxi. 
22, 23 : " Bring to an end, therefore, henceforth 
mortality. And reprove accordingly the angel of 
death, and let Thy glory appear . . ." one may com- 
pare what St. Paul says in 1 Cor. xv. 54, 55 : " Death 
is swallowed up in victory (cp. Isa. xxv. 8) ; O death, 
where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting 3 
(cp. Hos. xiii. 14). Once more, in xlii. 7, 8, we have 
the following : " For corruption shall take those 
that belong to it, and life those that belong to it. 
And the dust shall be called, and there shall be said 
to it : ' Give back that which is not thine, and raise up 
all that thou hast kept until its time J ' ; and in xliii. 2 : 

" And thou shalt forget whatever is corruptible, 
And thou shalt not again recall those things which 
happen among mortals/' 

These words remind one of what is said in 1 Cor. 
xv. 51 ff. : " . . . neither doth corruption inherit 
incorruption ... for this corruptible must put on 
in corruption, and this mortal must put on immor- 
tality. . . ." 

It is abundantly evident that the teaching on the 
Resurrection and the Resurrection -body contained 
in the Apocalypse of Baruch represents some of those 
conceptions and doctrines which St. Paul was com- 
bating when he wrote 1 Cor. xv. 

One more subject demands notice, viz. the teaching 



INTRODUCTION xxxi 

concerning the Messiah and the Messianic Kingdom. 
As is not unusually the case in apocalyptic works 
different ideas on this subject find expression in 
our book which cannot always be harmonized. In 
chapters xxiv.-xxx. the sequence of events is 
described in this way : the Judgement is to come when 
" the books shall be opened in which are written the 
sins of all those who have sinned, and again all the 
treasuries in which the righteousness of all those 
who have been righteous in creation is gathered.' 
Prior to this there will be great tribulations upon the 
earth ; this time of terror will be divided into twelve 
periods during each of which some new calamity 
will come upon the earth. "Whatever will \ then 
befall/' it is said, "will befall the whole earth; 
therefore all who live will experience " these woes. 
When all is accomplished the Messiah will " begin to 
be revealed. ' There will follow then the setting up 
of the Messianic Kingdom ; this is described in vivid 
colours; but nothing is said as to the role of the 
Messiah himself in this kingdom, the scene of which 
is on earth; but " after these things, when the time 
of the advent of the Messiah is fulfilled/' then he 
will " return in glory." It does not say definitely 
where he will come from, 1 but it is apparently implied 
that he will come from Heaven, since immediately 
upon his appearance the Resurrection is to take place : 
f then all who have fallen asleep in hope of Him 
shall rise again ; " but as for the wicked, " they 
shall know that their torment hath come and their 
perdition hath arrived." 

In chapters xxxix. xl. the account of these things 
is somewhat different ; the advent of the Messiah is 
preceded by calamitous times again, but there are 
different dominions which will bring evil upon the 
earth, and each will in turn be destroyed ; then 

1 Cp. John vii. 27 : "... but when the Christ cometh, 
no one knoweth whence he is." The fact that the Jews 
knew where our Lord came from is regarded by them as 
decisive against His Messiahship. 



xxxii INTRODUCTION 

"it will come to pass when the time of its con- 
summation that it should fall hath approached, then 
the principate of My Messiah will be revealed." 
The Messiah will then fight against the enemies of 
his people, and " his principate will stand for ever, 
until the world of corruption is at an end " ; then 
shall follow the Resurrection. It will be seen that 
while in these two accounts the sequence of events 
is much the same, the role of the Messiah is somewhat 
different ; in the former it is implied that the Messiah 
is revealed, but he then, presumably, returns whence 
he came ; at any rate, nothing is said as to his ruling 
in his kingdom; ultimately he reappears, and the 
Resurrection takes place. In the second the Messiah 
destroys his enemies and rules in his kingdom until 
the time of the Resurrection. 

The passage which states most definitely the rule 
of the Messiah in his kingdom — an earthly kingdom — 
is that comprised in chapters lxx.-lxxvi. Here, as 
in xxxix. xl. the " signs ' which precede the coming 
of the Messiah take the form of " turbulent nations ; 
some of them the Messiah spares, others he slays, 
but there are also many other signs (lxxi. 2-10) ; 
then it proceeds : 

" And it shall come to pass, when He hath brought 
low everything that is in the world, 
And hath sat down in peace for the age on the 

throne of His Kingdom, 
That joy shall then be revealed, 
. And rest shall appear . . ." (lxxiii. i-lxxiv. 4). 

Afterwards the second advent of the Messiah 
takes place ; this is not mentioned, but presupposed 
(lxxvi. 4) ; the Resurrection is not referred to. 

Finally, in another long passage lxxxii.-lxxxv., 
which cannot, however, be called a Messianic one, 
the writer takes a very dark view of the world, which 
is to undergo destruction, though the righteous will 
be saved; but there is no mention of the Messiah 
ror of the Messianic Kingdom : 



INTRODUCTION xxxiii 

" For the youth of the world is past, 
And the strength of the creation already exhausted, 
And the advent of the times is very short, 
Yea, they have passed by; 
And the pitcher is near to the cistern, 
And the ship to the port, 
And the course of the journey to the city, 
And life to its consummation. 

And again prepare your souls, so that when ye sail 
and ascend from the ship ye may have rest, and not 
be condemned when ye depart. For lo ! when the 
Most High will bring to pass all these things, 

There shall not be there again a place of repent- 
ance, nor a limit to the times, 

Nor a duration for the hours, 

Nor a change of ways, 

Nor place for prayer, 

Nor sending of petitions, 

Nor receiving of knowledge, 

Nor giving of love, 

Nor place of repentance for the soul, 

Nor supplication for offences, 

Nor intercession of the fathers, 

Nor prayers of the prophets, 

Nor help of the righteous. 

There there is the sentence of corruption, 

The way of fire, 

And the path which bringeth to Gehenna. 

On this account there is one Law by one, 

One age and an end for all who are in it. 

Then He will preserve those whom He can forgive, 

And at the same time destroy those who are 
polluted with sins " (lxxxv. 10-15). 

It will be instructive to compare the Messianic 
passages in our book with the relevant passages in 
the Gospels. 

^^ *^ *^ *|* ^» 3f> 

For the literature on the Apocalypse of Baruch, see 
Charles, op. cit., pp. xxx-xliii. 
C 



Thick type indicates an emendation of the text. 

[ ] = passages or words not from the hand of the 
original writer of the book. 

( ) = something supplied for the sake of clearness, 
but not belonging to the text. 

( } = a restoration of the text. 



THE APOCALYPSE OF 

BARUCH 

Translated from the Greek into Syriac] 



I. i-IV. i. Announcement of the coming 
Destruction of Jerusalem to Baruch. 

I. And it came to pass in the twenty-fifth year of 
Jeconiah king of Judah, that the word of the Lord 
came to Baruch the son of Neriah, and said to him : 
2. " Hast thou seen all that this people are doing 
to Me, that the evils which these two tribes which 
remained have done are greater than (those of) the 
ten tribes which were carried away captive ? 3. For 
the former tribes were forced by their kings to 
commit sin, but these two of themselves have been 
forcing and compelling their kings to commit sin. 
4. For this reason, behold I bring evil upon this 
city, and upon its inhabitants, and it shall be removed 
from before Me for a time, and I will scatter this 
people among the Gentiles that they may do good 
to the Gentiles. 5. And My people shall be chas- 
tened, and the time will come when they will seek 
for the prosperity of their times. 

II. For I have said these things to thee that 
thou mayest bid Jeremiah, and all those who are like 
you, to retire from this city. 2. For. your works 
are to this city as a firm pillar, and your prayers as 
a strong wall." 

III. And I said : " O Lord, my Lord, have I come 
into the world for this purpose that I might see the 
evils of my mother? not (so) my Lord. 2. If I have 

35 



36 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

found grace in Thy sight, first take my spirit that I 
may go to my fathers and not behold the destruction 
of my mother. 3. For two things vehemently con- 
strain me : for I cannot resist Thee, and my soul, 
moreover, cannot behold the evils of my mother. 

4. But one thing I will say in Thy presence, O Lord. 

5. What, therefore, will there be after these things? 
for if Thou destroyest Thy city, and deliverest up 
Thy land to those that hate us, how shall the name 
of Israel be again remembered? 6. Or how shall 
one speak of Thy praises? or to whom shall that 
which is in Thy Law be explained? 7. Or shall 
the world return to its nature (of aforetime), and 
the age revert to primeval silence ? 8. And shall the 
multitude of souls be taken away, and the nature 
of man not again be named? 9. And where is all 
that which Thou didst say to Moses regarding us? " 

IV. And the Lord said unto me : 

" This city shall be delivered up for a time, 
And the people shall be chastened during a 

time, 
And the world shall not be given over to 
oblivion. 

IV. 2-7. The Heavenly Jerusalem. 

2. [Dost thou think that this is a city of which I 
said : ' On the palms of My hands have I graven 
thee ' ? 3. This building now built in your midst is 
not that which is revealed with Me ; that which was 
prepared beforehand here from the time when I 
took counsel to make Paradise, and showed it to 
Adam before he sinned, but when he transgressed 
the commandment, it was removed from him, as 
also Paradise. 4. And after these things I showed 
it to My servant Abraham by night among the 
portions of the victims. 5. And again also I showed 
it to Moses on Mount Sinai when I showed to him 
the likeness of the tabernacle and all its vessels. 

6. And now, behold, it is preserved with Me, as also 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 37 

Paradise. 7. Go, therefore, and do as I command 
thee."] 

V. 1-7. Baruch's Complaint, and God's 

Reassurance. 

V. And I answered and said : 

" So then I am destined to grieve for Zion, 
For Thine enemies will come to this place and 

pollute Thy sanctuary, 
And lead Thine inheritance into captivity, 
And make themselves masters of those whom 

Thou hast loved ; 
And they will depart again to the place of their 

idols, 
And will boast before them. 
And what wilt Thou do for Thy great name ? 

2. And the Lord said unto me : 

" My name and My glory have an eternal duration ; 
And My judgement shall maintain its right in 
its own time. 

3. And thou shalt see with thine eyes 
That the enemy will not overthrow Zion, 
Nor burn Jerusalem, 

But be the ministers of the Judge for the time. 

4. But do thou go and do whatsoever I have said 

unto thee." 

5. And I went and took Jeremiah, and Adu, and 
Seriah, and Jabish, and Gedaliah, and all the honour- 
able men of the people, and I led them to the valley 
of Cedron, and I narrated to them all that had been 
said to me. 6. And they lifted up their voice, and 
they all wept. 7. And we sat there and fasted until 
the evening. 

VI. i-VIII. 5. Invasion of the Chaldaeans. 

VI. And it came to pass on the morrow that, lo ! 
the army of the Chaldees surrounded the city, and at 
the time of the evening I, Baruch, left the people, and 



38 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

I went forth and stood by the oak. 2. And I was 
grieving over Zion, and lamenting over the captivity 
which had come upon the people. 3. And, lo ! sud- 
denly a strong spirit raised me, and bore me aloft 
over the wall of Jerusalem. 4. And I beheld, and 
lo ! four angels standing at the four corners of the 
city, each of them holding a torch of fire in his 
hands. 5. And another angel began to descend from 
heaven, and said unto them : " Hold your lamps, 
and do not light them till I tell you. 6. For I am 
first sent to speak a word to the earth, and to place 
in it what the Lord the Most High hath commanded 
me." 7. And I saw him descend into the Holy of 
Holies, and take from thence the veil, and the holy 
ark, and the mercy-seat, and the two tables, and 
the holy raiment of the priests, and the altar of 
incense, and the forty-eight precious stones, where- 
with the priest was adorned, and all the holy vessels 
of the tabernacle. 8. And he spake to the earth 
with a loud voice : 

" Earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the mighty 
God, 
And receive what I commit to thee, 
And guard thou them until the last times, 
So that, when thou art ordered, thou mayst 

restore them, 
So that strangers may not get possession of 
them. 
9. For the time cometh when Jerusalem also shall 
be delivered up for a time, 
Until it is said, that it is again restored for 
ever. 
10. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed 

them up/' 
VII. And after these things I heard that angel 
saying unto those angels who held the lamps : 

" Destroy, therefore, and overthrow its walls to 
its foundations, lest the enemy should boast 
and say : 
1 We have overthrown the wall of Zion r 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 39 

And we have burnt the place of the mighty 
God.' " 
2. And ye have seized the place where I had been 
standing before. 

VIII. Now the angels did as he had commanded 
them, and when they had broken up the corners of 
the walls, a voice was heard from the interior of the 
temple, after the wall had fallen, saying : 

2. " Enter, ye enemies, 

And come, ye adversaries ; 

For He Who kept the house hath forsaken (it). ,J 

3. And I, Baruch, departed. 4. And it came to 
pass after these things that the army of the Chaldees 
entered and seized the house, and all that was 
around it. 5. And they led the people away cap- 
tive, and slew some of them, and bound Zedekiah 
the king, and sent him to the king of Babylon. 

IX. i-XII. 4. First Fast. Baruch's Dirge over 

Jerusalem. 

IX. And I, Baruch, came, and Jeremiah, whose 
heart was found pure from sins, who had not been 
captured in the seizure of the city. 2. And we rent 
our garments, and wept, and mourned, and fasted 
seven days. 

X. And it came to pass after seven days, that the 
word of God came to me, and said unto me : 2. " Tell 
Jeremiah to go and support the captivity of the 
people unto Babylon. 3. But do thou remain here 
amid the desolation of Zion, and I will show to thee 
after these days what will befall at the end of days." 
4. And I said to Jeremiah as the Lord commanded 
me. 5. And he, indeed, departed with the people, 
but I, Baruch, returned and sat before the gates 
of the temple, and I lamented with the following 
lamentation over Zion and said : 

6. " Blessed is he who was not born, 
Or being born hath died. 

7. But as for us who live, woe unto us, 



/ 



40 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

Because we see the afflictions of Zion, 
And what hath befallen Jerusalem. 

8. I will call the Sirens from the sea, 
And ye Lilin, come ye from the desert, 

And ye Shedim and dragons from the forests : 
Awake and gird your loins unto mourning, 
And take up with me the dirges, 
And mourn with me. 

9. Ye husbandmen, sow not again ; 

And thou, earth, wherefore givest thou the 

fruits of thy produce? 
Keep within thee the sweets of thy sustenance. 

10. And thou, vine, why further dost thou give thy 

wine? 
For an offering shall not again be made therefrom 

in Zion, 
Nor shall first-fruits again be offered. 

11. And do ye, O heavens, withhold your dew, 
And open not the treasuries of rain ; 

12. And do thou, O sun, withhold the light of thy 

rays ; 
And do thou, O moon, extinguish the multitude 

of thy light ; 
For why should light rise again 
Where the light of Zion is darkened ? 

13. And you, ye bridegrooms, enter not in, 

And let not the brides adorn themselves with 

garlands ; 
And, ye women, pray not that ye may bear. 

14. For the barren shall rejoice more, 

And those who have no sons shall be glad, 
And those who have sons shall have anguish 

15. For why should they bear in pain 
Only to bury in grief ? 

16. Or wherefore, again, should mankind have sons; 
Or wherefore should the seed of their nature 

again be named, 
Where this mother is desolate, 
And her sons are led into captivity ? 
17. From this time forward speak not of beauty, 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 41 

And discourse not of gracefulness. 
18. Moreover, ye priests, take ye the keys of the 
sanctuary, 
And cast them into the height of heaven, 
And give them to the Lord, and say : 
1 Guard Thy house Thyself, 
For lo ! we are found false stewards/ 
19. And you, ye virgins, who spin fine linen 
And silk with gold of Ophir, 
Hasten and take all things 
And cast (them) into the fire, 
That it may bear them to Him Who made them, 
And the flame send them to Him Who created 

them, 
Lest the enemy get possession of them." 
XL Moreover, I, Baruch, say this against thee, 
Babylon : 

" If thou hadst prospered, 
And Zion had dwelt in her glory, 
It would have been a great grief to us 
That thou shouldst be equal to Zion. 

2. But now, lo ! the grief is infinite, 
And the lamentation measureless, 
For lo ! thou art prospered 

And Zion desolate. 

3. Who will be judge regarding these things ? 

Or to whom shall we complain regarding that 

which hath befallen us ? 
O Lord, how hast Thou borne (it) ? 

4. Our fathers went to rest without grief, 

And lo ! the righteous sleep in the earth in 
tranquillity; 

5. For they knew not this anguish, 

Nor yet had they heard of that which had 
befallen us. 

6. Would that thou hadst ears, O earth, 
And that thou hadst a heart, dust, 
That ye might go and announce in Sheol, 
And say to the dead : 

7. E Blessed are ye more than we who live/ 



i »9 



42 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

XII. But I will say this as I think; 

And I will speak against thee, O land, which 
art prospering. 

2. The noonday doth not always burn ; 

Nor do the constant rays of the sun always give 
light. 

3. Do not expect [and hope] that thou wilt always 

be prosperous and rejoicing; 
And be not greatly uplifted and boastful ; 

4. For assuredly in its own season wrath will 

awake against thee, 
Which now in long-suffering is held in as it 
were by reins. 

XII. 5-XIII. 12. Second Fast. Judgement on 

the Heathen. 

5. And when I had said these things, I fasted 

seven days. 

XIII. And it came to pass after these things, that 

1, Baruch, was standing upon Mount Zion, and lo ! 
a voice came from the height and said unto me : 

2. " Stand upon thy feet, Baruch, and hear the word 
of the mighty God. 3. Because thou hast been 
astonied at what hath befallen Zion, thou shalt there- 
fore be assuredly preserved to the consummation of 
the times, that thou mayst be a testimony. 4. So 
that, if ever those prosperous cities say : ' Why hath 
the mighty God brought upon us this retribution ? ' 
5. Say thou to them, thou and those like thee who 
shall have seen this evil : ' (This is the evil) and 
retribution which is coming upon you and upon your 
people in its (destined) time, that the nations may 
be thoroughly smitten. ' 6. And they shall be in 
anguish. 7. And if they say at that time : ' For 
how long ? ' 8. Thou shalt say to them : 

1 Ye who have drunk the strained wine, 
Drink ye also of its dregs, 
The judgement of the Lofty One 
Who hath no respect of persons/ 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 43 

9. On this account He had before no mercy on 
His own sons, 
But afflicted them as His enemies, because they 
sinned. 

10. They were, therefore, chastened then 
That they might be sanctified. 

11. But now, ye peoples and nations, ye are 

guilty, 
Because all this time ye have trodden down the 

earth, 
And used the creation unrighteously. 

12. For I have always benefited you; 

And ye have always been ungrateful for the 
beneficence/ ' 

XIV. i-XIX. 8. God's Judgements are 

incomprehensible . 

XIV. And I answered and said : " Lo ! Thou hast 
shown me the method of the times, and that which 
shall be after these things, and Thou hast said unto 
me, that the retribution, which hath been spoken of 
by Thee, shall come upon the nations. 2. And now 
I know that those who have sinned are many, and 
they have lived in prosperity, and departed from the 
world, but that few nations will be left in those 
times, to whom those words shall be said which 
Thou didst say. 3. For what advantage is there in 
this, or what (evil), worse than what we have seen 
befall us, are we to expect to see? 4. But again I 
will speak in Thy presence : 5. What have they 
profited who had knowledge before Thee, and have 
not walked in vanity as the rest of the nations, and 
have not said to the dead : ' Give us fife/ but 
always feared Thee, and have not left Thy ways? 
6. And lo ! they have been carried off; nor on their 
account hast Thou had mercy on Zion. 7. And if 
others did evil, it was due to Zion, that on account 
of the works of those who wrought good works she 
should be forgiven, and should not be overwhelmed 



44 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

on account of the works of those who wrought 
unrighteousness. 

8. But who, O Lord, my Lord, will comprehend 

Thy judgement, 
Or who will search out the profoundness of Thy 

path ? 
Or who will think out the weight of Thy way ? 

9. Or who will be able to think out Thy incom- 

prehensible counsel? 
Or who of those that are born hath found 
The beginning or end of Thy wisdom ? 

10. For we have all been made like a breath. 
11. For as the breath ascends involuntarily, and 
again dies, so it is with the nature of men, who 
depart not according to their own will, and know 
not what will befall them in the end. 12. For the 
righteous justly hope for the end, and without fear 
depart from this habitation, because they have with 
Thee a store of works preserved in treasuries. 13. On 
this account also these without fear leave this world, 
and trusting with joy they hope to receive the world 
which Thou hast promised them. 14. But as for 
us, — woe to us, who also are now shamefully en- 
treated, and at that time look forward (only) to evils. 
15. But Thou knowest accurately what Thou hast 
done by means of Thy servants ; for we are not 
able to understand that which is good as Thou art, 
our Creator. 16. But again I will speak in Thy 
presence, O Lord, my Lord. 17. When of old there 
was no world with its inhabitants, Thou didst devise 
and speak with a word, and forthwith the works 
of creation stood before Thee. 18. And Thou didst 
say that Thou wouldst make for Thy world man as 
the administrator of Thy works, that it might be 
known that he was by no means made on account of 
the world, but the world on account of him. 19. And 
now I see that as for the world which was made on 
account of us, lo ! it abideth, but we, on account of 
whom it was made, depart." 

XV. And the Lord answered and said unto me ; 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 45 

" Thou art rightly astonied regarding the departure 
of man ; but thou hast not judged well regarding the 
evils which befall those who sin. 2. And as regards 
what thou hast said, that the righteous are carried 
off and the impious are prospered, 3. And as regards 
what thou hast said : ' Man knoweth not Thy judge- 
ment ' — 4. On this account hear, and I will speak to 
thee, and hearken, and I will cause thee to hear My 
words. 5. Man would not rightly have understood 
My judgement, if he had not accepted the Law, and 
I had not instructed him in understanding. 6. But 
now, because he transgressed wittingly, yea, just on 
this ground that he wot thereof, he shall be tormented. 
7. And as regards what thou didst say touching the 
righteous, that on account of them hath this world 
come, so also again shall that which is to come come 
on their account. 8. For this world is to them a 
strife and a labour with much trouble ; and that 
accordingly which is to come, a crown with great 
glory/ V 

XVI. And I answered and said : " O Lord, my 
Lord, lo ! the years of this time are few and evil, 
and who is able in his little time to acquire that 
which is measureless ? " 

XVII. And the Lord answered and said unto me : 
" With the Most High account is not taken of much 
time nor of a few years. 2. For what did it profit 
Adam that he lived nine hundred and thirty years, 
and transgressed that which he was commanded? 3. 
Therefore the multitude of time that he lived did not 
profi 4 him, but brought death and cut off the years 
of those who were born from him. 4. Or wherein 
did Moses suffer loss in that he lived only one hundred 
and twenty years, and, inasmuch as he was subject 
to Him Who formed him, brought the Law to the 
seed of Jacob, and lighted a lamp for the nation of 
Israel ? " 

XVIII. And I answered and said: "'He that 
lighted hath taken from the light, and there are but 
few that have imitated him. 2. But those many 



~2 



46 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

whom He hath lighted have taken from the darkness 
of Adam, and have not rejoiced in the light of the 
lamp." 

XIX. And He answered and said unto^ me : 
" Wherefore at that time he appointed for tliem a 
covenant, and said : 

* Behold I have placed before you life and death/ 
And he called heaven and earth to witness 
against them. 

2. For he knew that his time was but short, 
But that heaven and earth endure always. 

3. But after his death they sinned and transgressed, 
Though they knew that they had the Law 

reproving (them), 
And the light in which nothing could err, 
Also the spheres, which testify, and Me. 

4. Now regarding everything that is, it is I that 
judge, but do not thou take counsel in thy soul 
regarding these things, nor afflict thyself because of 
those which have been. 5. For now it is the con- 
summation of time that should be considered, whether 
of business, or of prosperity, or of shame, and not 
the beginning thereof. 6. Because if a man be pros- 
pered in his beginnings and shamefully entreated in 
his old age, he forgetteth all the prosperity that he 
had. 7. And again, if a man is shamefully entreated 
in his beginnings, and at his end is prospered, he 
remembereth not again his evil entreatment. 8. And 
again hearken : though each one were prospered all 
that time — all the time from the day on which 
death was decreed against those who transgress — and 
in his end was destroyed, in vain would have been 
everything. 



) ) 



XX. 1-6. The Advent of the Judgement. 

XX. Therefore, behold ! the days will come, 

And the times will hasten more than the former, 
And the seasons will speed on more than those 
that are past, 



THE APOGALYPSE OF BARUCH 47 

And the years will pass more quickly than the 
present (years). 

2. Therefore have I now taken away Zion, 

That I may the more speedily visit the world 
in its season. 

3. Now, therefore, hold fast in thy heart everything 

that I command thee, 
And seal it in the recesses of thy mind. 

4. And then I will show thee the judgement of My 

might, 
And My ways which are past finding out. 

5. Go, therefore, and sanctify thyself seven days, 
and eat no bread, nor drink water, nor speak to any 
one. 6. And afterwards come to that place, and I 
will reveal Myself to thee, and speak true things with 
thee, and I will give thee commandment regarding 
the method of the times; for they are coming and 
tarry not. 

XXI. 1-26. The Prayer of Baruch, the Son of 

Neriah. 

XXI. And I went thence and sat in the valley of 
Cedron in a cave of the earth, and I sanctified my 
soul there, and I ate no bread, yet I was not hungry, 
and I drank no water, yet I thirsted not, and I was 
there till the seventh day, as He had commanded 
me. 2. And afterwards I came to that place where 
He had spoken with me. 3. And it came to pass 
at sunset that my soul took much thought, and I 
began to speak in the presence of the Mighty One, 
and said : 4. " O Thou that hast made the earth, 
hear me, that hast fixed the firmament by the word, 
and hast made firm the height of the heaven by the 
spirit, that hast called from the beginning of the 
world that which did not yet exist, and they obey 
Thee. 5. Thou that hast commanded the air by 
Thy nod, and hast seen those things which are to be 
as those things which Thou art doing. 6. Thou that 
rulest with great thought the powers that stand 



48 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

before Thee : (yea) that rulest with indignation the 
holy living creatures, who are without number, which 
Thou didst make from the beginning, of flame and 
fire, which stand around Thy throne. 7. To Thee 
only doth this belong that Thou shouldst do forth- 
with whatsoever Thou dost wish. 8. Who causest 
the drops of rain to rain by number upon the earth, 
and alone knowest the consummation of the times 
before they come : have respect unto my prayer. 
9. For Thou alone art able to sustain all who are, 
and those who have passed away, and those who are 
to be, those who sin, and those who are righteous 
[as living (and) being past finding out]. 10. For Thou 
alone dost live immortal and art past finding out, 
and knowest the number of mankind, n. And if in 
time many have sinned, yet others, not a few, have 
been righteous. 



XXI. 12-18. Baruch's Depreciation of this Life. 

12. Thou knowest where Thou preservest the end 
of those who have sinned, or the consummation of 
those who have been righteous. 13. For if there 
were this life only, which belongeth to all men, 
nothing could be more bitter than this. 

14. For of what profit is strength that turneth to 

weakness, 
Or fulness of food that turneth to famine, 
Or beauty that turneth to ugliness? 

15. For the r iture of man is always changeable. 
16. For what t e were formerly we now no longer 
are, and what we now are we shall not afterwards 
remain. 17. For if a consummation had been pre- 
pared for all, in vain would have been their begin- 
ning. 18. But regarding everything that cometh from 
Thee, do Thou inform me, and regarding everything 
about which I ask Thee, do Thou enlighten me. 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 49 

XXI. 19-26. Baruch prayeth to God to hasten 

the Judgement. 

19. How long will that which is corruptible remain, 
and how long will the time of mortals be prospered, 
and until what time will those who transgress in the 
w T orld be polluted with much wickedness ? 20. Com- 
mand therefore in mercy, and accomplish all that Thou 
saidst Thou wouldst bring, that Thy might may be 
made known to those who think that Thy long-suffering 
is weakness. 21. And show to those who know not, 
that everything that hath befallen us and our city 
until now hath been according to the long-suffering 
of Thy pow T er; because on account of Thy name 
Thou hast called us a beloved people. 22. Bring to 
an end, therefore, henceforth mortality. 23. And 
reprove, accordingly, the angel of death, and let Thy 
glory appear, and let the might of Thy beauty be 
known, and let Sheol be sealed so that from this time 
forward it may not receive the dead, and let the 
treasuries of souls restore those which are enclosed 
in them. 24. For there have been many years like 
those that are desolate from the days of Abraham 
and Isaac and Jacob, and of all those who are like 
them, who sleep in the earth, on whose account Thou 
didst say that Thou hadst created the world. 25. And 
now quickly show Thy glory, and do not defer what 
hath been promised by Thee. ,: 26. And (when) 
I had completed the words of this prayer I was 
greatly weakened. 

XXII. i-XXIII. 7. God's Reply to Baruch's 

Prayer. 

XXII. And it came to pass after these things that 
lo ! the heavens were opened, and I saw, and power 
was given to me, and a voice was heard from. on high, 
and it said unto me : 2. " Baruch, Baruch, why art 
thou troubled? 3. He who travelleth by a road but 
doth not complete it, or he who departeth by sea but 

D 



5Q THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

doth not arrive at the port, can he be comforted? 

4. Or he who promiseth to give a present to another, 
but doth not fulfil it, is it not robbery? 5. Or he 
who soweth the earth, but doth not reap its fruit in 
its season, doth he not lose everything? 6. Or he 
who planteth a plant, unless it groweth till the time 
suitable to it, doth he who planted it expect to 
receive fruit from it? 7. Or a woman who hath 
conceived, if she bring forth untimely, doth she not 
assuredly slay her infant ? 8. Or he who buildeth a 
house, if he doth not roof it and complete it, can it 
be called a house? Tell me that first/' 

XXIII. And I answered and said : " Not so, O 
Lord, my Lord/' 2. And He answered and said 
unto me : " Why therefore art thou troubled about 
that which thou knowest not, and why art thou ill 
at ease about things in which thou art ignorant? 
3. For as thou hast not forgotten the people who 
now are and those who have passed away, so I 
remember those who are appointed to come. 4. Be- 
cause when Adam sinned and death was decreed 
against those who should be born, then the multi- 
tude of those who should be born was numbered, 
and for that number a place was prepared where the 
living might dwell and the dead might be guarded. 

5. Before, therefore, the number aforesaid is fulfilled, 
the creature will not live again [for My spirit is the 
creator of life], and Sheol shall receive the dead. 

6. And, again, it is given to thee to hear what things 
are to come after these times. 7. For truly My 
redemption hath drawn nigh, and is not far distant 
as aforetime. 

XXIV. 1-4. The Coming Judgement. 

XXIV. " For behold ! the days come and the books 
shall be opened in which are written the sins of all 
those who have sinned ; and, again, also the treasuries 
in which the righteousness of all those who have been 
righteous in creation is gathered. 2. For it shall 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 51 

come to pass at that time that thou shalt see — and 
many that are with thee — the long-suffering of the 
Most High, which hath been throughout all genera- 
tions, Who hath been long-suffering towards all who 
are born, (alike) those who sin and (those who) are 
righteous/ ' 3. And I answered and said : " But, 
behold ! O Lord, no one knoweth the number of 
those things which have passed, nor yet of those 
things which are to come. 4. For I know, indeed, 
that which hath befallen us, but what will happen 
to our enemies I know not ; and when Thou wilt 
visit Thy works." 

XXV. i-XXVI. 1. The Sign of the Coming 

Judgement. 

XXV. And He answered and said unto me ' 
f Thou, too, shalt be preserved till that time, till that 

sign which the Most High will work for the inhabit- 
ants of the earth in the end of days. 2. This, there- 
fore, shall be the sign. 3. When a stupor shall seize 
the inhabitants of the earth, and they shall fall into 
many tribulations, and again, when they shall fal] 
into great torments. 4. And it shall come to pass 
when they say in their thoughts by reason of their 
much tribulation : ' The Mighty One doth no longer 
remember the earth ' — yea, it will come to pass 
when they abandon hope, that the time will then 
awake." 

XXVI. And I answered and said : " Will that 
tribulation which is to be continue a long time, and 
will that necessity embrace many years? " 

XXVII. i-XXX. 1. The Twelve Woes : the 
Messiah and the temporary Messianic 
Kingdom. 

XXVII. And He answered and said unto me : 
" Into twelve parts is that time divided, and each 
one of them is reserved for that which is appointed 




52 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

for it. 2. In the first part there shall be the beginning 
of commotions. 3. And in the second part (there 
shall be) slayings of the great ones. 4. And in the 
third part the fa]l of many by death. 5. And in 
the fourth part the sending of the sword. 6. And 
in the fifth part famine and the withholding of rain. 

7. And in the sixth part earthquakes and terrors. 

8. [Wanting.] 9. And in the eighth part a multitude 
of spectres and attacks of the Shedim. 10. And in 
the ninth part the fall of fire. n. And in the tenth 
part rapine and much oppression. 12. And in the 
eleventh part wickedness and unchastity. 13. And 
in the twelfth part confusion from the mingling 
together of all those things aforesaid. 14. For these 
parts of that time are reserved, and shall be mingled 
one with another and minister one to another. 
15. For some shall leave out some of their own, and 
receive (in its stead) from others ; and some shall 
complete their own and that of others, so that those 
may not understand who are upon the earth in those 
days that this is the consummation of the times. 

XXVIII. " Nevertheless, whosoever understandeth 
shall then be wise. 2. For the measure and reckon- 
ing of that time are two parts a week of seven weeks/ 
3. And I answered and said : " It is good for a man 
to come and behold, but it is better that he should 
not come lest he fall. 4. [But I will say this also. 
5. ' Will he who is incorruptible despise those things 
which are corruptible, and whatever befalleth in the 
case of those things which are corruptible, so that he 
might look only to those things which are not cor- 
ruptible ? '] 6. But if, O Lord, those things shall 
assuredly come to pass which Thou hast foretold to 
rrfe ; so do Thou show this also unto me if, indeed, I 
have found grace in Thy sight. 7. Is it in one 
place or in one of the parts of the earth that those 
things are to come to pass, or will the whole earth 
experience (them) ? " 

XXIX. And He answered and said unto me : 
" Whatever shall then befall (shall befall) the whole 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 53 

earth; therefore all who live shall experience (them). 
2. For at that time I will protect only those who are 
found in those self -same days in this land. 3. And 
it shall come to pass when all is accomplished that 
was to come to pass in those parts, that the Messiah 
shall then begin to be revealed. 4. And Behemoth 
shall be revealed from his place, and Leviathan shall 
ascend from the sea, those two great monsters which 
I created on the fifth day of creation, and shall have 
kept until that time ; and then they shall be for 
food for all that are left. 5. The earth also shall 
yield its fruit ten thousandfold, and on one vine there 
shall be a thousand branches, and each branch shall 
produce a thousand clusters, and each cluster shall 
produce a thousand grapes, and each grape shall pro- 
duce a cor of wine. 6. And those who have hungered 
shall rejoice; moreover, also, they shall behold 
marvels every day. 7. For winds shall go forth 
from before Me to bring every morning the fragrance 
of aromatic fruits, and at the close of the day clouds 
distilling the dew of health. 8. And it shall come 
to pass at that self-same time that the treasury of 
manna shall again descend from on high, and they 
shall eat of it in those years, because these are they 
who have come to the consummation of time. 

XXX. c And it shall come to pass after these 
things, when the time of the advent of the Messiah 
is fulfilled, and He shall return in glory. 

XXX. 2-5. The Resurrection. 

2. Then shall all who have fallen asleep in hope 
of Him rise again. And it shall come to pass at that 
time that the treasuries shall be opened in which is 
preserved the number of the souls of the righteous, 
and they shall come forth, and a multitude of souls 
shall be seen together in one assemblage of one 
thought, and the first shall rejoice and the last shall 
not be grieved. 3. For they know that the time 
hath come of which it is said, that it is the 



54 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

consummation of the times. 4. But the souls of the 
wicked, when they behold all these things, shall then 
waste away the more. 5. For they shall know that 
their torment hath come and their perdition hath 
arrived/' 



XXXI.-XXXIII. Baruch's Exhortation to the 

People. 

XXXI. And it came to pass after these things 
that I went to the people and said unto them : 
" Assemble unto me all your elders and I will speak 
words unto them/ 2. And they all assembled in 
the valley of the Cedron. 3. And I answered and 
said unto them : 

" Hear, O Israel, and I will speak to thee, 

And give ear, O seed of Jacob, and I will 
instruct thee. 

4. Forget not Zion, 

But hold in remembrance the anguish of Jeru- 
salem. 

5. For lo ! the days come, 

When everything that existeth will become the 

prey of corruption, 
And be as though it had not been. 

XXXII. " But as for you, if ye prepare your hearts, 
so as to sow in them the fruits of the Law, it shall 
protect you in that time in which the Mighty One 
is to shake the whole creation. [2. Because after a 
little time the building of Zion shall be shaken in 
order that it may again be built. 3. But that build- 
ing shall not remain, but shall again after a time be 
rooted out, and shall remain desolate until the time. 
4. And afterwards it must be renewed in glory, and 
perfected for evermore.] 5. Therefore we should not 
be distressed so much over the evil which hath now 
come as over that which is still to be. 6. For there 
shall be a greater trial than these two tribulations 
when the Mighty One shall renew His creation. 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 55 

7. And now do not draw near to me for a few days, 
nor seek me till I come to you." 8. And it came 
to pass when I had spoken to them all these words, 
that I, Baruch, went my way; and when the people 
saw me setting out, they lifted up their voice and 
lamentel and said: 9. "Whither departest thou 
from us, Baruch, and forsakest us as a father who 
forsake th his orphan children, and departeth from 
them? 

XXXIII. "Are these the commands which thy 
companion, Jeremiah the prophet, commanded thee, 
and said unto thee : 2. ' Look to this people till 
I go and make ready the rest of the brethren in 
Babylon, against whom hath gone forth the sentence 
that they should be led into captivity? ' 3. And 
now if thou also forsake us, it were good for us all 
to die before thee, and then that thou shouldst 
withdraw from us/' 



XXXIV.-XXXV. Baruch's Lament. 

XXXIV. And I answered and said unto the 
people : " Far be it from me to forsake you or to 
withdraw from you, but I will only go unto the 
Holy of Holies to enquire of the Mighty One con- 
cerning you and concerning Zion, if in some respect 
I should receive more illumination; and after these 
things I will return to you/' 

XXXV. And I, Baruch, went to the holy place, 
and sat down upon the ruins and wept, and said : 

2. " O that mine eyes were springs, 
And ye, mine eyelids a fount of tears. 

3. For how shall I lament for Zion, 

And how shall I mourn for Jerusalem ? 

4. For in that place where I am now prostrate ; 
The high priest of old offered holy sacrifices, 
And placed thereon incense of fragrant odours. 

5. But now our glorying hath been made into dust. 
And the desire of our soul into sand," 



56 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

XXXVI.-XXXVII. The Vision of the Forest. 

XXXVI. And when I had said these things I fell 
asleep there, and I saw a vision in the night. 2. And 
lo ! a forest of trees planted on the plain, and lofty 
and rugged rocky mountains surrounded it, and that 
forest occupied much space. 3. And lo ! over against 
it arose a vine, and from under it there went forth 
a fountain peacefully. 4. Now that fountain came 
to the forest and was (stirred) into great waves, and 
those waves submerged that forest, and suddenly 
they rooted out the greater part of that forest, and 
overthrew all the mountains which were round 
about it. 5. And the height of the forest began to 
be made low, and the top of the mountains was 
made low, and that fountain prevailed greatly, so 
that it left nothing of that great forest save one 
cedar only. 6. Also when it had cast it down and 
had destroyed and rooted out the greater part oi 
that forest, so that nothing was left of it, nor could 
its place be recognised, then that vine began to come 
with the fountain in peace and great tranquillity, and 
it came to a place which was not far from the cedar, 
and they brought the cedar which had been cast 
down to it. 7. And I beheld and lo ! that vine 
opened its mouth and spake and said to that cedar : 
" Art thou not that cedar which was left of the 
forest of wickedness, and by whose means wickedness 
persisted, and was wrought all those years, and good- 
ness never? 8. And thou didst keep conquering 
that which was not thine, and to that which was 
thine thou didst never show compassion, and thou 
didst keep extending thy power over those who 
were far from thee, and those who drew nigh thee 
thou didst hold fast in the toils of thy wickedness, 
and thou didst uplift thyself always as one that 
could not be rooted out ! 9. But now thy time 
hath sped and thine hour is come. 10. Do thou also, 
therefore, depart, O cedar, after the forest, which 
departed before thee, and become dust with it, and 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 57 

let your ashes be mingled together. 11. And now 
recline in anguish and rest in torment till thy last 
time come, in which thou shalt come again, and 
be tormented still more." 

XXXVII. And after these things I saw that cedar 
burning, and the vine growing, itself and all around 
it, (but) the plain full of unfading flowers. And I, 
indeed, awoke and arose. 

XXXVIII.-XL. The Interpretation of the 

Vision. 

XXXVIII. And I prayed and said : " O Lord, 
my Lord, Thou dost always enlighten those who are 
led by understanding. 2. Thy Law is life, and Thy 
wisdom is right guidance. 3. Make known to me, 
therefore, the interpretation of this vision. 4. For 
Thou knowest that my soul hath always walked in 
Thy Law, and from my (earliest) days I departed not 
from Thy wisdom/' 

XXXIX. And He answered and said unto me : 
" Baruch, this is the interpretation of the vision 
which thou hast seen. 2. As thou hast seen a great 
forest which lofty and rugged mountains surrounded, 
this is the word. 3. Behold ! the days come, and 
this kingdom shall be destroyed which once destroyed 
Zion, and it shall be subjected to that which cometh 
after it. 4. Moreover, that also, again, after a time 
shall be destroyed, and another, a third, shall arise; 
and that also shall have dominion for its time, and 
shall be destroyed. 5. And after these things a 
fourth kingdom shall arise, whose power shall be 
harsh and evil far beyond those which were before 
it, and it shall rule many times as the forests on the 
plain, and it shall hold fast the times, and shall 
exalt itself more than the cedars of Lebanon. 6. And 
by it the truth shall be hidden, and all those who are 
polluted with iniquity shall flee to it, as evil beasts 
flee and creep into the forest. 7. And it shall come 
to pass when the time of his consummation that he 



58 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

should fall hath approached, then the principate 
of My Messiah shall be revealed, which is like the 
fountain and the vine ; and when it is revealed it 
shall root out the multitude of its host. 8. And as 
touching that which thou hast seen, the lofty cedar, 
which was left of that forest, and the fact that the 
vine spoke those words with it which thou didst 
hear, this is the word : 

XL. The last leader of that time shall be left 
alive, when the multitude of his hosts shall be put 
to the sword, and he shall be bound, and they shall 
take him up to Mount Zion, and My Messiah shall 
convict him of all his impieties, and shall gather 
and set before him all the works of his hosts. 2. 
And afterwards he shall put him to death, and 
protect the rest of My people which shall be found 
in the place w T hich I have chosen. 3. And his 
principate shall stand for ever, until the world of 
corruption is at an end, and until the times afore- 
said are fulfilled. 4. This is thy vision, and this is 
its interpret ation." 

XLI.-XLII. The Destiny of the Apostates and 

Proselytes. 

XLI. And I answered and said : " To whom and 
for many shall these things be? Or who will be 
worthy to live at that time ? 2. For I will speak 
before Thee everything that I think, and I will ask 
of Thee regarding those things which I meditate. 
3. For lo ! I see many of Thy people who have 
withdrawn from Thy covenant, and cast from them 
the yoke of Thy Law. 4. But others, again, I have 
seen who have forsaken their vanity, and fled for 
refuge beneath Thy wings. 5. What, therefore, shall 
be to them? Or how shall the last time receive 
them ? 6. Or perhaps the time of these shall assuredly 
be weighed, and as the beam inclineth shall they 
be judged accordingly? " 

XLII. And He answered and said unto me : 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 59 

" These things also I will show unto thee. 2. As 
for what thou didst say : ' To whom shall these things 
be, and how many (shall they be) ? ' — to those who 
have believed there shall be the good which was 
spoken of aforetime, and to those who despise there 
shall be the contrary of these things. 3. And as 
for what thou didst say regarding those who have 
drawn near and those who have withdrawn, this is 
the word: 4. As for those who were before subject, 
and afterwards withdrew and mingled themselves 
with the seed of mingled peoples, the time of these 
was the former, and was accounted as something 
exalted. 5. And as for those who before knew not, 
but afterwards knew life, and mingled (only) with 
the seed of the people which had separated itself, 
the time of these (is) the latter, and is accounted 
as something exalted. 6. And time shall succeed 
to time and season to season, and one shall receive 
from another, and then with a view to the consum- 
mation shall everything be compared according to 
the measure of the times and the hours of the seasons. 
7. For corruption shall take those that belong to it, 
and life those that belong to it. 8. And the dust 
shall be called, and there shall be said to it : ' Give 
back that which is not thine, and raise up all that 
thou hast kept until its time.' 

XLIII. Baruch is told of his Death. 

XLIII. ( But, do thou, Baruch, direct thy heart 

for that which hath been said to thee, 
And understand those things which have been 

shown to thee ; 
For there are many eternal consolations for thee. 
2. For thou shalt depart from this place, 

And thou shalt pass from the regions which 

are now seen by thee, 
And thou shalt forget whatever is corruptible, 
And shalt not again recall those things which 

happen among mortals. 



6o THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

3. Go therefore and command thy people, and 
come to this place, and afterwards fast seven 
days, and then I will come to thee and speak 
with thee." 

XLIV.-XLVII. Baruch's Words to the People. 

XLTV. And I, Baruch, went from thence, and 
came to my people, and I called my first-born son 
and [the Gedaliahs] my friends, and seven of the 
elders of the people, and I said unto them : 

2. " Behold, I go unto my fathers 
According to the way of all the earth. 

3. But withdraw ye not from the way of the Law, 
But guard and admonish the people which remain, 
Lest thev withdraw from the commandments 

of the Mighty One. 

4. For ye see that He Whom we serve is just, 
And our Creator is no respecter of persons. 

5. And ye see what hath befallen Zion, 
And what hath happened to Jerusalem. 

6. For the judgement of the Mighty One shall 

(thereby) be made known, 
And His ways, which, though past finding out, 
are right. 

7. For if ye endure and persevere in His fear, 
And do not forget His Law, 

The times shall change over you for good, 
And ye shall see the consolation of Zion. 

8. Because whatever is now is nothing, 
But that which shall be is very great. 

9. For everything that is corruptible shall pass 

away, 
And everything that dieth shall depart, 
And all the present time shall be forgotten, 
Nor shall there be any remembrance of the 

present time, which is defiled with evils. 
10. For that which runneth now runneth unto vanity, 
And that which prospereth shall quickly fall 

and be humiliated. 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 61 

ii. For that which is to be shall be the object of 

desire, 
And on that which shall come afterwards do 

we place our hope ; 
For it is a time that shall not pass away. 

12. And the hour cometh which shall abide for ever, 
And the new world (cometh) which doth not 

turn to corruption those who depart to its 

blessedness, 
And hath no mercy on those who depart to 

torment, 
And shall not lead to perdition those who live 

in it. 

13. For these are they who shall inherit that time 

which hath been spoken of, 
And theirs is the inheritance of the promised 
time. 

14. These are they who have acquired for themselves 

treasures of wisdom, 
And with them are found stores of under- 
standing, 
And from mercy have they not withdrawn, 
And the truth of the Law have they preserved. 

15. For to them shall be given the world to come. 
But the dwelling of the rest, who are many, shall 

be in the fire. 
XLV. ' Do ye, therefore, so far as ye are able, 
instruct the people, for that labour is yours. 2. For 
if ye teach them, ye will quicken them." 

XL VI. And my son and the elders of the people 
answered and said unto me : 

' Hath the Mighty One humiliated us to such 

a degree 
As to take thee from us quickly ? 

2. And truly we shall be in darkness, 

And there will be no light to the people who 
are left. 

3. For where again shall we seek the Law, 

Or who will distinguish for us between death 
and life ? " 



62 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

4. And I said unto them : " The throne of the 

Mighty One I cannot resist : 
Nevertheless, there shall not be wanting to 

Israel a wise man, 
Nor a son of the Law to the race of Jacob. 

5. But only prepare ye your hearts, that ye may 

obey the Law, 
And be subject to those who in fear are wise 

and understanding ; 
And prepare your soul that ye may not depart 

from them. 

6. For if ye do these things, 

Good tidings shall come unto you. 
[which I before told you of ; nor will ye fall into the 
torment, of which I testified to you before/' 7. But 
with regard to the word that I was to be taken, 
I did not make (it) known to them or to my son]. 

XL VII. And when I had gone forth and dismissed 
them, I went thence and said unto them : " Behold ! 
I go to Hebron; for thither the Mighty One hath 
sent me." 2. And I came to that place where the 
word had been spoken to me, and I sat there, and 
fasted seven days. 

XLVIII. 1-47. Prayer of Baruch. 

V 

XLVIII. And it came to pass after the seventh 
day, that I prayed before the Mighty One and said : 

2. " O my Lord, Thou summonest the advent of 

the times, 
And they stand before Thee ; 
Thou causest the power of the ages to pass away, 
And they do not resist Thee ; 
Thou arrangest the method of the seasons, 
And they obey Thee. 

3. Thou alone knowest the duration of the genera- 

tions, 
And Thou revealest not Thy mysteries to many. 

4. Thou makest known the multitude of the fire, 
And Thou weighest the lightness of the wind. 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 63 

5. Thou explorest the Hmit of the heights, 

And Thou scrutinisest the depths of the darkness. 

6. Thou carest for the number which pass away 

that they may be preserved, 
And Thou preparest an abode for those that 
are to be. 

7. Thou rememberest the beginning which Thou 

hast made, 
And the destruction that is to be Thou forgettest 

not. 
8 With nods of fear and indignation Thou givest 

commandment to the flames, 
And they change into spirits, 
And with a word Thou quickenest that which 

was not, 
And with mighty power Thou holdest that 

which hath not vet come. 
9. Thou instructest created things in the under- 
standing of Thee, 
And Thou makest wise the spheres so as to 

minister in their orders. 

10. xAxmies innumerable stand before Thee, 

And minister in their orders quietly at Thy nod. 

11. Hear Thy servant, 

And give ear to my petition. 

12. For in a little time are we born, 
And in a little time do we return. 

13. But with Thee hours are as a time, 
And days as generations. 

14. Be not therefore wroth with man; for he is 

nothing, 
And take not account of our works. 15. for 

what are we ? 
For lo ! by Thy gift do we come into the world, 
And we depart not of our own will. 

16. For we said not to our parents, ' Beget us/ 
Nor did we send to Sheol and say, ' Receive 

us/ 

17. What, therefore, is our strength that we should 

bear Thy wrath? 



64 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

Or what are we that we should endure Thy 
judgement ? 

18. Protect us in Thy compassions, 
And in Thy mercy help us. 

19. Behold the little ones that are subject unto Thee, 
And save all that draw nigh unto Thee ; 

And destroy not the hope of our people, 
And cut not short the times of our aid. 

20. For this is the nation which Thou hast chosen, 
And these are the people, to whom Thou findest 

no equal. 

21. But I will speak now before Thee, 
And I will say as my heart thinketh. 

22. In Thee do we trust, for lo ! Thy Law is with us, 
And we know that we shall not fall so long as 

we keep Thy statutes. 

23. [To all times we are blessed; in this at least 

that we have not mingled with the Gentiles.] 

24. For we are all one celebrated people, 
Who have received one Law from One ; 

And the Law which is amongst us will aid us, 
And the surpassing wisdom which is in us will 
help us." 
25. And when I had prayed and said these things, 
I was greatly weakened. 26. And He answered and 
said unto me : 

" Thou hast prayed simply, O Baruch, 
And all thy words have been heard. 

27. But My judgement exacteth its own, 
And My Law exacteth its rights. 

28. For from thy words I will answer thee, 
And from thy prayer I will speak to thee. 

29. For this is as followeth : he that is corrupted 
is not at all; he hath both wrought iniquity so far 
as he could do anything, and hath not remembered 
My goodness, nor accepted My long-suffering. 30. 
Therefore thou shalt surely be taken up, as I before 
told thee. 31. For that time shall arise which 
bringeth affliction ; for it shall come and pass by 
with quick vehemence, and it shall be turbulent, 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 65 

coming in the heat of indignation. 32. And it shall 
come to pass in those days that all the inhabitants 
of the earth will be moved one against another, 
because they know not that My judgement hath 
drawn nigh., 

33. For there shall not be found many wise at that 

time, 
And the intelligent shall be but a few : 
Moreover, even those w T ho know shall most of 
all be silent. 

34. And there shall be many rumours and tidings 

not a few, 
And the doings of phantasmata shall be manifest, 
And promises not a few be recounted ; 
Some of them (shall prove) idle, 
And some of them shall be confirmed. 

35. And honour shall be turned into shame, 
And strength humiliated into contempt, 
And probity destroyed, 

And beauty shall become ugliness. 

36. And many shall say to many at that time : 

* Where hath the multitude of intelligence 

hidden itself, 
And whither hath the multitude of wisdom 

removed itself? ' 

37. And whilst they are meditating these things, 
Then envy shall arise in those who had not 

thought aught of themselves (?), 
And passion shall seize him who is peaceful, 
And many shall be roused in anger to injure 

many, 
And they shall raise up armies in order to shed 

blood, 
And in the end they shall perish together with 

them. 

38. And it shall come to pass at the self -same time, 
That a change of times shall manifestly appear 

to every man, 
Because in all those times they polluted them- 
selves, 

E 



66 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

And practised oppression, 

And walked every man in his own works, 

And remembered not the Law of the Mighty One. 

39. Therefore a fire shall consume their thoughts, 
And in flame shall the meditations of their reins 

be tried ; 
For the Judge shall come and will not tarry. 

40. Because each of the inhabitants of the earth 

knew when he was committing iniquity, 
And they have not known My Law by reason 
of their pride. 

41. But many shall then assuredly weep, 

Yea, over the living more than over the dead." 

42. And I answered and said : 

" O Adam, what hast thou done to all those 

who are born from thee ? 
And what will be said to the first Eve who 

hearkened to the serpent ? 

43. For all this multitude is going to corruption, 
Nor is there any numbering of those whom the 

fire devoureth. 
44. But again I will speak in Thy presence. 45. 
Thou, O Lord, my Lord, knowest what is in Thy 
creature. 46. For Thou didst of old command the 
dust to produce Adam, and Thou knowest the 
number of those who are born from him, and how 
far they have sinned before Thee who have existed 
and not confessed Thee as their Creator. 47. And 
as regards all these their end will convict them, and 
Thy Law which they have transgressed shall requite 
them on Thy day." 

XLVIII. 48-50. Fragment of an Address of 

Baruch to the People. 

[48. " But now let us dismiss the wicked and enquire 
about the righteous. 49. And I will recount their 
blessedness, and not be silent in celebrating their 
glory, which is reserved for them. 50. For assuredly 
as in a little time in this world which passeth away, 
in which ye live, ye have endured much labour, so 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 67 

in that world to which there is no end, ye shall 
receive great light."] 

XLIX.-LII. The Nature of the Resurrection 
Body ; the final Destinies of the Righteous 
and of the Wicked. 

XLIX. Nevertheless, I will again ask from Thee, 
O Mighty One, yea, I will ask mercy from Him Who 
made all things : 

2. In what shape will those live who live in Thy 

day ? 
Or how will the splendour of those who (are) 
after that time continue ? 

3. Will they then resume this form of the present, 
And put on these en trammeling members, 
Which are now involved in evils, 

And in which evils are consummated ; 

Or wilt Thou perchance change these things 

which have been in the world, 
As also the world? ' " 
L. And He answered and said unto me : " Hear, 
Baruch, this word, 

And write in the remembrance of thy heart all 
that thou shalt learn. 

2. For the earth shall then assuredly restore the dead, 
Which it now receiveth, in order to preserve 

them. 
It shall make no change in their form, 
But as it hath received, so shall it restore them ; 
And as I delivered them unto it, so also shall it 

raise them. 

3. For then it will be necessary to show to the 
living that the dead have come to life again, and 
that those who had departed have returned (again). 
4. And it shall come to pass, when they have severally 
recognized those whom they now know, then judge- 
ment shall grow strong, and those things which 
before were spoken of shall come. 

LI. ' And it shall come to pass, when that ap- 
pointed day hath gone by, that then shall the aspect 



68 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

of those who are condemned be afterwards changed, 
and the glory of those who are justified. 2. For the 
aspect of those who now act wickedly shall become 
worse than it is, as they shall suffer torment. 3. 
Also (as for) the glory of those who have now been 
justified in My Law, who have had understanding 
in their life, and who have planted in their heart 
the root of wisdom, then their splendour shall be 
glorified in changes, and the form of their face shall 
be turned into the light of their beauty, that they 
may be able to acquire and receive the world which 
doth not die, which is then promised to them. 4. For 
over this above all shall those who come then lament, 
that they rejected My Law, and stopped their ears 
that they might not hear wisdom or receive under- 
standing. 5. When therefore they see those, over 
whom they are now exalted, (but) who shall then be 
exalted and glorified more than they, they shall 
respectively be transformed, the latter into the 
splendour of angels, and the former shall yet more 
waste away in wonder at the visions and in the 
beholding of the forms. 6. For they will first behold, 
and afterwards depart to be tormented. 

7. But those who have been saved by their works, 
And to whom the Law hath been now a hope, 
Aud understanding an expectation, 

And wisdom a confidence, 

To them wonders will appear in their time. 

8. For they shall behold the world which is now 

invisible to them, 
And they shall behold the time which is now 
hidden from them. 

9. And time shall no longer age them. 

10. For in the heights of that world shall they dwell, 
And they shall be made like unto the angels, 
And be made equal to the stars, 
And they shall be changed into every form they 

desire, 
From beauty into loveliness, 
And from light into the splendour of glory. 
11. For there shall be spread before them the 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 69 

extents of Paradise, and there shall be shown to them 
the beauty of the majesty of the living creatures 
which are beneath the throne, and all the armies of 
the angels, who [are now held fast by My word, lest 
they should appear, and] are held fast by a command, 
that they may stand in their places till their advent 
cometh. 12. Moreover, there shall then be excellency 
in the righteous surpassing that in the angels. 13. 
For the first shall receive the last, those whom they 
were expecting, and the last those of whom they 
used to hear that they had passed away. 

14. For they have been delivered from this world 

of tribulation, 
And laid down the burthen of anguish. 

15. For what then have men lost their life, 

And for what have those who were on the earth 
exchanged their soul ? 

16. For then they chose (not) for themselves this 

time, 
Which, beyond the reach of anguish, could not 

pass away ; 
But they chose for themselves that time, 
Whose issues are full of lamentations and evils, 
And they denied the world which ageth not those 

who come to it, 
And they have rejected the time of glory, 
So that they shall not come to the honour of 

which I told thee before/' 
LI I. And I answered and said : 

c How can we forget those for whom woe is 

then reserved? 

2. And why therefore again do we mourn for those 

who die? 
Or why do we weep for those who depart to 
Sheol ? 

3. Let lamentations be reserved for the beginning 

of that coming torment, 
And let tears be laid up for the advent of the 
destruction of that time. 

4. [But even in the face of these things I will speak. 

5. And as for the righteous, what will they do now ? 



70 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

6. Rejoice ye in the suffering which ye now suffer : 
For why do ye look for the decline of your 

enemies? 7. Make ready your soul for that 

which is reserved for you, 
And prepare your souls for the reward which 

is laid up for you."] 

LIII.-LXXIV. The Messiah Apocalypse. 

LI II. The Vision of the Cloud and the Waters. 

LI II. And when I had said these things I fell 
asleep there, and I saw a vision, and lo ! a cloud was 
ascending from a very great sea, and I kept gazing 
upon it, and lo ! it was full of waters white and black, 
and there were many colours in those self-same 
waters, and as it were the likeness of great lightning 
was seen at its summit. 2. And I saw that cloud 
passing swiftly in quick courses, and it covered all 
the earth. 3. And it came to pass after these things 
that that cloud began to pour upon the earth the 
waters that were in it. 4. And I saw that there was 
not one and the same likeness in the waters which 
descended from it. 5. For in the first beginning they 
were black and many for a time, and afterwards I 
saw that the waters became bright, but they were 
not many, and after these things again I saw black 
(waters), and after these things again bright, and 
again black and again bright. 6. Now this was done 
twelve times, but the black were always more numer- 
ous than the bright. 7. And it came to pass at the 
end of the cloud, that lo ! it rained black waters, and 
they were darker than had been all those waters 
that were before, and fire was mingled with them, 
and where those waters descended, they wrought 
devastation and destruction. 8. And I saw after 
these things that lightning which I had seen on the 
summit of the cloud, that it seized hold of it and 
hurled it to the earth. 9. Now that lightning shone 
exceedingly, so as to illuminate the whole earth, and 
it healed those regions where the last waters had 
descended and wrought devastation. 10. And it 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 71 

took hold of the whole earth and had dominion over 
it. II. And I saw after these things, and lo ! twelve 
rivers were ascending from the sea, and they began 
to surround that lightning and to become subject 
to it 12. And by reason of my fear I awoke. 

LIV.-LV. Baruch's Prayer. 

LIV. And I besought the Mighty One, and said : 
" Thou alone, O Lord, knowest of aforetime the 

deep things of the world, 
And the things which befall in their times Thou 

bringest about by Thy word, 
And against the works of the inhabitants of 

the earth Thou dost hasten the beginnings 

of the times, 
And the end of the seasons Thou alone knowest. 

2. For Whom nothing is too hard, 

But Thou doest everything easily by a nod. 

3. To whom the depths as the heights are accessible. 
And the beginnings of the ages minister to Thy 

word. 

4. Who revealest to those who fear Thee what is 

prepared for them, 
That henceforth they may be comforted. 

5. Thou showest great acts to those who know not ; 
Thou breakest up the enclosure of those who 

are ignorant, 
And lightest up what is dark, 
And revealest what is hidden to the pure, 
[Who in faith have submitted themselves to 

Thee and Thy Law.] 

6. Thou hast shown to Thy servant this vision ; 
Reveal to me also its interpretation. 

7. For I know that as regards those things wherein 
I besought Thee, I have received a response, and as 
regards what I besought, Thou didst reveal to me, 
and didst show me with what voice I should praise 
Thee, or from what members I should cause praises 
and hallelujahs to ascend to Thee. 

8. For if my members were mouths, 



72 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

And the hairs of my head voices, 
Even so I could not give Thee the meed of praise, 
Nor laud Thee as is befitting, 
Nor could I recount Thy praise, 
Nor tell the glory of Thy beauty. 
9. For what am I amongst men, 

Or why am I reckoned amongst those who are 

more excellent than I, 
That I should have heard all those marvellous 

things from the Most High, 
And promises numberless from Him Who 

created me? 

10. Blessed be my mother amongst those that bear, 
And praised among women be she that bare me. 

11. For I will not be silent in praising the Mighty 

One, 
And with the voice of praise I will recount His 
marvellous deeds. 

12. For who doeth like unto Thy marvellous deeds, 

O God, 
Or who comprehendeth Thy deep thought of life ? 

13. For with Thy counsel dost Thou govern all the 

creatures which Thy right hand hath created, 
And Thou hast established every fountain of 

light beside Thee, 
And the treasures of wisdom beneath Thy 

throne hast Thou prepared. 

14. And justly do they perish who have not loved 

Thy Law, 
And the torment of judgement shall await 
those who have not submitted themselves to 
Thy power. 

15. For though Adam first sinned, 

And brought untimely death upon all, 
Yet of those who were born from him 
Each one of them hath prepared for his own 

soul torment to come, 
And, again, each one of them hath chosen for 

himself glories to come. 
[16. For assuredly he who believeth shall receive 

reward. 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 73 

17. But now, as for you, ye wicked that now are, 

turn ye to destruction, because ye will speedily 
be visited, in that formerly ye rejected the 
understanding of the Most High. 

18. For His works have not taught you, 

Nor hath the skill of His creation, which is at 
all times, persuaded you.] 
ig. Adam is therefore not the cause, save only of 
his own soul, 
But each one of us hath been the Adam of his 
own soul. 

20. But do Thou, O Lord, expound to me regarding 

those things which Thou hast revealed to me, 
And inform me regarding that which I besought 
Thee. 

21. For at the consummation of the world there 

shall be vengeance taken upon those who 
have done wickedness according to their 
wickedness ; 
And Thou wilt glorify the faithful according to 
their faithfulness. 

22. For those who are amongst Thine own Thou 

rulest, 
And those who sin Thou blottest out from 

amongst Thine own/' 
LV. And it came to pass when I had finished 
speaking the words of this prayer, that I sat there 
under a tree, that I might rest in the shade of the 
branches. 2. And I wondered and was astonied, 
and pondered in my thoughts regarding the multi- 
tude of goodness which sinners who are upon the 
earth have rejected, and regarding the great torment 
which they have despised, though they knew that 
they should be tormented because of the sin they had 
committed. 3. And when I was pondering on these 
things and the like, lo ! the angel Ramiel, who pre- 
sideth over true visions, was sent to me, and he said 
unto me : 4. " Why doth thy heart trouble thee, 
Baruch, and why doth thy thought disturb thee? 
5. For if owing to the report which thou hast 
only heard of judgement thou art so moved, what 



74 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

(wilt thou be) when thou shalt see it manifestly with 
thine eyes? 6. And if with the expectation where- 
with thou dost expect the day of the Mighty One 
thou art so overcome, what (wilt thou be) when thou 
shalt come to its advent? 7. And, if at the word 
of the announcement of the torment of those who 
have done foolishly thou art so wholly distraught, 
how much more when the event will reveal marvellous 
things? 8. And if thou hast heard tidings of the 
good and evil things which are then coming, and art 
grieved, what (wilt thou be) when thou shalt behold 
what the majesty will reveal, which will convict 
these and cause those to rejoice ? " 

LVI.-LXXIV. The Interpretation of the Vision. 

LVI. " Nevertheless, because thou hast besought 
the Most High to reveal to thee the interpretation 
of the vision which thou hast seen, I have been sent 
to tell thee. 2. And the Mighty One hath assuredly 
made known to thee the methods of the times that 
have passed, and of those that are destined to pass 
in His world from the beginning of its creations even 
, unto its consummation, of those things which (are) 
deceit and of those which (are) in truth. 3. For as 
thou didst see a great cloud which ascended from the 
sea, and went and covered the earth, this is the 
duration of the world (= alwv) which the Mighty 
One made when He took counsel to make the world. 
4. And it came to pass when the word had gone 
forth from His presence, that the duration of the 
world had come into being in a small degree, and 
was established according to the multitude of the 
intelligence of Him Who sent it. 5. And as thou 
didst previously see on the summit of the cloud 
black waters which descended previously on the 
earth, this is the transgression wherewith Adam the 
first man transgressed. 

6. For since when he transgressed 
Untimely death came into being, 
And grief was named, and anguish was prepared, 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 75 

And pain was created, 

And trouble consummated, 

And disease began to be established, 

And Sheol to demand that it should be renewed 

in blood, 

And the begetting of children was brought about, 

And the passion of parents produced, 

And the greatness of humanity was humiliated, 

And goodness languished. 

7. What therefore can be blacker or darker than 

these things ? 8. This is the beginning of the black 

waters which thou hast seen. 9. And from these 

black (waters) again were black derived, and the 

darkness of darkness produced 10. For he became 

a danger to his own soul, even to the angels became 

he a danger, n. For, moreover, at that time when 

he was created, they enjoyed liberty. 12. And some 

of them descended, and mingled with women. 13. 

And then those who did so were tormented in chains. 

14. But the rest of the multitude of the angels, of 
which there is (no) number, restrained themselves. 

15. And those who dwelt on the earth perished 
together (with them) through the waters of the 
deluge. 16. These are the black first waters. 

LVII. And after these (waters) thou didst see 
bright waters : this is the fount of Abraham, also his 
generations and advent of his son, and of his son's 
son, and of those like them. 2. Because at that 
time the unwritten Law was named amongst them, 
And the works of the commandments were then 

fulfilled, 
And belief in the coming judgement was then 

generated, 
And hope of the world that was to be renewed 

was then built up, 

And the promise of the life that should come 

hereafter was implanted. 

3. These are the bright waters, which thou hast seen. 

LVIII. And the black third waters which thou 

hast seen, these are the mingling of all sins, which 

the nations afterwards wrought after the death of 



76 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

those righteous men, and the wickedness of the land 
of Egypt, wherein they did wickedly in the service 
wherewith they made their sons to serve. 2. Never- 
theless, these also perished at last. 

LIX. And the bright fourth waters which thou 
hast seen are the advent of Moses and Aaron and 
Miriam and Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb and 
of all those like them. 2. For at that time the 
lamp of the eternal Law shone on all those who sat 
in darkness, which announced to them that believe 
the promise of their reward, and to them that deny, 
the torment of fire which is reserved for them. 3. 
But also the heavens at that time were shaken from 
their place, and those who were under the throne 
of the Mighty One were perturbed, when He was 
taking Moses unto Himself. 4. For He showed him 
many admonitions together with the principles of the 
Law and the consummation of times, as also to thee, 
and likewise the pattern of Zion and its measures, 
in the pattern of which the sanctuary of the 
present time was to be made. 5. But then also He 
showed to him the measures of the fire, also the 
depths of the abyss and the weight of the winds 
and the number of the drops of rain. 6. And the 
suppression of anger, and the multitude of long- 
suffering, and the truth of judgement. 7. And the 
root of wisdom, and the riches of understanding, 
and the fount of knowledge; 8. And the height of 
the air, and the greatness of Paradise, and the con- 
summation of the ages, and the beginning of the day 
of judgement; 9. And the number of the offerings, 
and the earths which have not yet come. 10. And 
the mouth of Gehenna, and the station of vengeance, 
and the place of faith, and the region of hope; n. 
And the likeness of future torment, and the multitude 
of innumerable angels, and the flaming hosts, and 
the splendour of the lightnings, and the voice of the 
thunders, and the orders of the chiefs of the angels, 
and the treasuries of light, and the changes of the 
times, and the investigations of the Law. 12. These 
are the bright fourth waters which thou hast seen. 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 77 

LX. And the black fifth waters which thou hast 
seen raining are the works which the Amorites 
wrought, and the spells of their incantations which 
they wrought, and the wickedness of their mysteries, 
and the mingling of their pollution. 2. But even 
Israel was then polluted by sins in the days of the 
Judges, though they saw many signs which were 
from Him Who made them. 

LXI. And the bright sixth waters which thou 
didst see, this is the time in which David and Solomon 
were born. 

2. And there was at that time the building of Zion, 
And the dedication of the sanctuary, 

And the shedding of much blood of the nations 

that sinned then, 
And many offerings which were offered then in 

the dedication of the sanctuary. 

3. And peace and tranquillity existed at that time. 

4. And wisdom was heard in the assembly, 

And the riches of understanding were magnified 
in the congregations, 

5. And the holy festivals were fulfilled in goodness 

and in much joy, 

6. And the judgement of the rulers was then seen 

to be without guile, 
And the righteousness of the precepts of the 
Mighty One was accomplished with truth, 

7. And the land [which] was then beloved by the 

Lord, 
And because its inhabitants sinned not, it was 

glorified beyond all lands, 
And the city of Zion ruled then over all lands 

and regions. 

8. These are the bright waters which thou hast seen. 
LXII. And the black seventh waters which thou 

hast seen, this is the perversion (brought about) by 
the counsel of Jeroboam, who took counsel to make 
two calves of gold. 2. And all the iniquities which 
the kings who were after him iniquitously wrought. 
3. And the curse of Jezebel, and the worship of idols 
which Israel practised at that time. 4. And the 



78 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

withholding of rain, and the famines which occurred 
until women ate the fruit of their wombs. 5. And 
the time of their captivity which came upon the nine 
tribes and a half, because they were in many sins. 6. 
And Salmanasar king of Assyria came and led them 
away captive. 7. But regarding the Gentiles it were 
tedious to tell how they always wrought impiety 
and wickedness, and never wrought righteousness. 
8. These are the black seventh waters which thou 
hast seen. 

LXIII. And the bright eighth waters which thou 
hast seen, this is the rectitude and uprightness of 
Hezekiah king of Judah and the grace (of God) 
which came upon him. 2. For when Sennacherib 
was stirred up in order that he might perish, and 
his wrath troubled him in order that he might thereby 
perish, for the multitude also of the nations which 
were with him. 3. When, moreover, Hezekiah the 
king heard those things which the king of Assyria 
was devising (i. e.) to come and seize him and destroy 
his people, the two and a half tribes which remained ; 
nay, more, he wished to overthrow Zion also ; then 
Hezekiah trusted in his works, and had hope in his 
righteousness, and spake with the Mighty One and 
said : 4. ' Behold, for lo ! Sennacherib is prepared 
to destroy us, and he will be boastful and uplifted 
when he hath destroyed Zion/ 

5. And the Mighty One heard him, for Hezekiah 

was wise, 
And He had respect unto his prayer, because he 
was righteous. 

6. And thereupon the Mighty One commanded 
Ramiel His angel who speaketh with thee. 7. And 
I went forth and destroyed their multitude, the 
number of whose chiefs only was a hundred and 
eighty-five thousand, and each one of them had an 
equal number (at his Command). 8. And at that 
time I burned their bodies within, but their raiment 
and arms I preserved outwardly, in order that the 
still more wonderful deeds of the Mighty One might 
appear, and that thereby His name might be spoken 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 79 

of throughout the whole earth. 9. Moreover, Zion 
was saved and Jerusalem delivered; Israel also was 
freed from tribulation. 10. And all those who were 
in the holy land rejoiced, and the name of the Mighty 
One was glorified so that it was spoken of. 11. 
These are the bright waters which thou hast seen. 

LXIV. And the black ninth waters which thou 
hast seen, this is all the wickedness which was in 
the days of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah. 2. For 
he wrought much impiety, and he slew the righteous, 
and he wrested judgement, and he shed the blood of 
the innocent, and wedded women he violently pol- 
luted, and he overturned the altars, and destroyed 
their offerings, and drave forth the priests lest they 
should minister in the sanctuary. 3. And he made 
an image with five faces ; four of them looked to the 
four winds, and the fifth on the summit of the image 
as an adversary of the zeal of the Mighty One. 4. 
And then wrath went forth from the presence of the 
Mighty One to the intent that Zion should be rooted 
out, as also it befell in your days. 5. But also against 
the two tribes and a half went forth a decree that 
they should also be led away captive, as thou hast 
now seen. 6. And to such a degree did the impiety 
of Manasseh increase, that it removed the praise 
of the Most High from the sanctuary. 7. On this 
account Manasseh was at that time named ■ the 
impious/ and finally his abode was in the fire. 8. 
For though his prayer was heard with the Most High, 
finally, when he w T as cast into the brazen horse and 
the brazen horse was melted, it served as a sign unto 
him at the time. 9. For he did not live perfectly, for 
he was not worthy — but that thenceforward he might 
know by whom finally he should be tormented. 10. For 
he who is able to benefit is also able to torment. 

LXV. Thus, moreover, did Manasseh act im- 
piously, and thought that in his time the Mighty 
One would not inquire into these things. 2. These 
are the black ninth w r aters which thou hast seen. 

LXVI. And the bright tenth waters which thou 
hast seen : this is the purity of the generations of 



80 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

Josiah king of Judah, who was the only one at that 
time who submitted himself to the Mighty One with 
all his heart and with all his soul. 2. And he cleansed 
the land from idols, and hallowed all the vessels 
which had been polluted, and restored the offerings 
to the altar, and raised the horn of the holy, and 
exalted the righteous, and glorified all that were 
wise in understanding, and brought back the priests 
to their ministry, and destroyed and removed the 
magicians and enchanters and necromancers from the 
land. 3. And not only did he slay the impious that 
were living, but they also took from the sepulchres 
the bones of the dead and burned them with fire. 
4. [And the festivals and the sabbaths he established 
in their sanctity], and their polluted ones he burnt 
in the fire, and the lying prophets which deceived the 
people, these also he burnt in the fire, and the people 
who listened to them when they were living, he cast 
them into the brook Cedron, and heaped stones upon 
them. 5. And he was zealous with the zeal of the 
Mighty One with all his soul, and he alone was firm 
in the Law at that time, so that he left none that 
was uncircumcised, or that wrought impiety in all 
the land, all the days of his life. 6. Therefore he 
shall receive an eternal reward, and he shall be glorified 
with the Mighty One beyond many at a later time. 
7. For on his account and on account of those who 
are like him were the honourable glories, of which 
thou wast told before, created and prepared. 8. 
These are the bright waters which thou hast seen. 

LXVII. And the black eleventh waters which 
thou hast seen : this is the calamity which is now 
befalling Zion. 

2. Dost thou think that there is no anguish to the 
angels in the presence of the Mighty One, 
That Zion was so delivered up, 
And that lo ! the Gentiles boast in their hearts, 
And assemble before their idols and say : 
' She is trodden down who ofttimes trod down, 
And she hath been reduced to servitude who 
reduced (others) ? ' 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 81 

3. Dost thou think that in these things the Most 

High rejoiceth, 
Or that His name is glorified ? 

4. [But how will it serve towards His righteous 

judgement ?] 

5. Yet after these things shall the dispersed among 

the Gentiles be taken hold of by tribulation, 
And in shame shall they dwell in every place. 

6. Because so far as Zion is delivered up, 
And Jerusalem laid waste, 

And idols prosper in the cities of the Gentiles, 
And the vapour of the smoke of the incense of 
righteousness which is by the Law is extin- 
guished in Zion, 
And in the region of Zion, in every place, lo ! 
there is the smoke of impiety. 

7. But the king of Babylon will arise who hath 

now destroyed Zion, 
And he will boast over the people, 
And he will speak great things in his heart in 

the presence of the Most High. 

8. But he also shall fall at last. 

9. These are the black waters. 

LXVIII. And the bright twelfth waters which 
thou hast seen : this is the word. 2. For after these 
things a time shall come when thy people shall fall 
into distress, so that they shall all run the risk of 
perishing together. 3. Nevertheless, they shall be 
saved, and their enemies shall fall in their presence. 

4. And they shall have in (due) time much joy. 

5. And at that time after a little interval Zion shall 
again be builded, and its offerings shall again be 
restored, and the priests shall return to their ministry, 
and again the Gentiles shall come to glorify it. 

6. Nevertheless, not fully as in the beginning. 7. But 
it shall come to pass after these things that there 
shall be the fall of many nations. 8. These are the 
bright waters which thou hast seen. 

LXIX. For the last waters which thou hast seen 
which were darker than all that were before them, 
those which were after the twelfth number, which 
F 



&2 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

were collected together, belong to the whole world. 

2. For the Most High made division from the be- 
ginning because He alone knoweth what shall befall. 

3. For as to the enormities and the impieties which 
should be wrought before Him, He foresaw six kinds 
of them. 4. And of the good works of the righteous 
which should be accomplished before Him, He fore- 
saw six kinds of them, beyond those which He 
should work at the consummation of the age. 5. On 
this account there were not black waters with black, 
nor bright with bright ; for it is the consummation. 

LXX. Hear therefore the interpretation of the last 
black waters which are to come [after the black] : 
this is the word: 2. Behold! the days come, and it 
shall be when the time of the age has ripened, 

And the harvest of its evil and good seeds hath 

come, 
That the Mighty One will bring upon the earth 

and its inhabitants and upon its rulers 
Perturbation of spirit and stupor of heart. 

3. And they will hate one another, 
And provoke one another to fight, 

And the mean shall rule over the honourable, 
And those of low degree shall be extolled above 
the famous, 

4. And the man}^ shall be delivered into the hands 

of the few, 
And those who are nothing shall rule over the 

strong, 
And the poor shall have abundance beyond the 

rich, 
And the impious shall exalt themselves above 

the heroic, 

5. And the wise shall be silent, 
And the foolish shall speak, 

Neither shall the thought of men be then 
confirmed, 

Nor the counsel of the mighty, 

Nor shall the hope of those who hope be con- 
firmed; 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 83 

6. Moreover, it shall be when those things which 

were predicted have come to pass, 
That confusion shall fall upon all men, 
And some of them shall fall in battle, 
And some of them shall perish in anguish, 
And some of them shall be destroyed by theii 

own. 

7. Then the Most High will reveal those peoples 

whom He hath prepared before, 
And they shall come and make war with the 
leaders that shall then be left. 

8. And it shall come to pass that whosoever 
getteth safe out of the war shall die in the earth- 
quake, and whosoever getteth safe out of the earth- 
quake shall be burned by the fire, and whosoever 
getteth safe out of the fire shall be destroyed by 
famine. [9. And it shall come to pass that who- 
soever of the victors and the vanquished getteth 
safe out of and escapeth all these things aforesaid 
shall be delivered into the hands of My servant 
Messiah.] 10. For all the earth will devour its 
inhabitants. 

LXXI. And the holy land shall have mercy on 
its own, 
And it shall protect its nhabiters at that time. 

2. This is the vision which thou hast seen, and 
this is the interpretation. 3. For I have come to 
tell thee these things, because thy prayer hath been 
heard with the Most High. 

LXXII. Hear now also regarding the bright light- 
ning which is to come at the consummation after 
these black (waters), this is the word : 2. After the 
signs have come, of which thou wast told before, 
when the nations become turbulent, and the time of 
My Messiah is come, He shall both summon all the 
nations, and some of them He shall spare, and some 
of them He shall slay. 3. These things therefore 
shall come upon the nations which are to be spared 
by Him. 4. Every nation which knoweth not Israel, 
and hath not trodden down the seed of Jacob, shall 



84 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

indeed be spared. 5. And this because some of 
every nation shall be subjected to thy people. 6. But 
all those who have ruled over you, or have known 
you, shall be given up to the sword. 

LXXIII. And it shall come to pass, when He hath 
brought low everything that is in the world, 
And hath sat down in peace for the age on the 

throne of His kingdom, 
That joy shall then be revealed, 
And rest appear; 

2. And then healing shall descend in dew, 
And disease shall withdraw, 

And anxiety and anguish and lamentation shall 

pass from amongst men, 
And gladness shall proceed through the whole 

earth ; 

3. And no one shall again die untimely, 
Nor shall any adversity suddenly befall, 

4. And judgements, and revilings, and contentions, 

and revenges, 
And blood, and passions, and envy, and hatred, 
And whatsoever things are like these shall go 

into condemnation when they are removed. 

5. For it is these very things w r hich have filled 

this world with evils, 
And on account of these the life of man has 
been greatly troubled. 

6. And wild beasts shall come from the forest and 

minister unto men, 
And asps and dragons shall come forth from 
their holes to submit themselves to a little 
child, 

7. And women shall no longer then have pain 

when they bear, 
Nor shall they suffer torment when they yield 

the fruit of the womb. 
LXXIV. And it shall come to pass in those days 

that the reapers shall not grow weary, 
Nor those that build be toilworn ; 
For the works shall of themselves speedily 

advance 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 85 

With those who do them in much tranquillity. 

2. For that time is the consummation of that 

which is corruptible, 
And the beginning of that which is not cor- 
ruptible. 

3. Therefore those things which were predicted 

shall belong to it ; 
Therefore it is far away from evils, and near to 
those things which die not. 

4. This is the bright lightning which came after 

the last dark waters." 

LXXV. Baruch's Hymn. 

LXXV. And I answered and said : 
" Who can understand, O Lord, Thy goodness? 
For it is incomprehensible. 

2. Or who can search into Thy compassions, 
Which are infinite ? 

3. Or who can comprehend Thy intelligence ? 

4. Or who is able to recount the thoughts of Thy 

mind? 

5. Or who of those that are born can hope to 

come to those things, 
Unless he is one to whom Thou art merciful 
and gracious? 

6. Because, if assuredly Thou didst not have 

compassion on man, 
Those who are under Thy right hand, 
They could not come to those things, 
But those who are in the numbers named can 

be called. 

7. But if, indeed, we who exist know wherefore we 

have come, 
And submit ourselves to Him Who brought us 

out of Egypt, 
We shall come again and remember those things 

which have passed, 
And shall rejoice regarding that which hath 

been. 

8. But if now we know not wherefore we have come, 



( < 



86 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

And recognise not the principate of Him Who 

brought us up out of Egypt, 
We shall come again and seek after those things 

which have been now, 
And be grieved with pain because of those things 

which have befallen/' 



LXXVI. Baruch is bidden to instruct the 

People. 

LXXVI. And He answered and said unto me : 
Inasmuch as the revelation of this vision hath 
been interpreted to thee as thou besoughtest], hear 
the word of the Most High that thou mayest know 
what is to befall thee after these things. 2. For 
thou shalt surely depart from this earth, nevertheless 
not unto death ; but thou shalt be preserved unto 
the consummation of the times. 3. Go up, therefore, 
to the top of that mountain, and there shall pass 
before thee all the regions of that land, and the 
figure of the inhabited world, and the tops of the 
mountains, and the depths "of the va]leys, and 
the depths of the seas, and the number of the rivers, 
that thou mayest see what thou art leaving, and 
whither thou art going. 4. Now this shall befall 
after forty days. 5. Go now, therefore, during these 
days and instruct the people so far as thou art able, 
that they may learn so as not to die at the last 
times, but may learn in order that they may live at 
the last times. J 



a 



LXXVII. 1-16. Baruch's Admonition to the 

People. 

LXXVII. And I, Baruch, went thence and came 
to the people, and assembled them together from the 
greatest to the least, and said unto them : 2. " Hear, 
ye children of Israel, behold how many ye are who 
remain of the twelve tribes of Israel. 3. For to you 
and to your fathers the Lord gave a Law more 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 87 

excellent than to all peoples. 4. And because your 
brethren transgressed the commandments of the 
Most High, 

He brought vengeance upon you and upon 
them, 

And He spared not the former, 

And the latter also He gave into captivity, 

And left not a residue of them. 

5. And behold ! ye are here with me; 

6. If, therefore, ye direct your ways aright, 

You also shall not depart as your brethren 

departed, 
But they shall come to you. 

7. For He is merciful Whom ye worship, 
And He is gracious in Whom ye hope, 

And He is true, so that He shall do (you) good 
and not evil. 

8. Have ye not seen here what hath befallen Zion ? 

9. Or do ye, perchance, think that the place had 

sinned, 
And that on this account it was overthrown ? 
Or that the land had wrought foolishness, 
And that therefore it was delivered up ? 
10. And know ye not that on account of you who 
did sin, 
That which sinned not was overthrown, 
And, on account of those who wrought wickedly, 
That which wrought not foolishness was de- 
livered up to (its) enemies? " 
11. And the whole people answered and said unto 
me : So far as we can recall the good things which 
the Mighty One hath done unto us, we do recall 
them ; and those things which we do not remember 
He in His mercy knoweth. 12. Nevertheless, do 
this for us thy people : write also to our brethren in 
Babylon an epistle of doctrine and a scroll of hope, 
that thou mayest confirm them also before thou 
dost depart from us. 

13. For the shepherds of Israel have perished, 
And the lamps which gave light are extin- 
guished, 



• 



• 



> 



88 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

And the fountains have withheld their stream 
whence we used to drink. 
14. And we are left in the darkness, 
And amid the trees of the forest, 
And the thirst of the wilderness ." 
15. And I answered and said unto them : 
" Shepherds and lamps and fountains came from 
the Law ; 
And though we depart, yet the Law abideth. 
16. If, therefore, ye have respect to the Law, 
And are intent upon wisdom, 
A lamp shall not be wanting, 
And a shepherd shall not fail, 
And a fountain shall not dry up. 

LXXVII. 17-26. The Sending of the Epistles. 

17. Nevertheless, as ye said unto me, I will write 
also unto your brethren in Babylon, and I will send 
by means of men, and I will write in like manner to 
the nine tribes and a half, and send by means of a 
bird/' 18. And it came to pass on the one and 
twentieth day in the eighth month that I, Baruch, 
came and sat down under the oak, under the shadow 
of the branches, and no man was with me, but I was 
alone. 19. And I wrote these two epistles : one I 
sent by an eagle to the nine and a half tribes; and 
the other I sent to those that were at Babylon, by 
means of three men. 20. And I called the eagle, 
and spake these words unto it : 21. " The Most 
High hath made thee that thou shouldst be higher 
than all birds. 22. And now go, and tarry not in 
(any) place, nor enter a nest, nor settle upon any 
tree, till thou hast passed over the breadth of the 
many waters of the river Euphrates, and hast gone 
to the people that dweh there, and cast down to 
them this epistle. 23. Remember, moreover, that, 
at the time of the deluge, Noah received from the 
dove the fruit of the olive, when he sent it forth 
from the ark. 24. Yea, also the ravens ministered 
to Elijah, bearing him food, as they had been com- 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 89 

manded. 25. Solomon also, in the time of his king- 
dom, whithersoever he wished to send or seek for 
anything, commanded a bird (to go thither), and it 
obeved him as he commanded it. 26. And now let 
it not weary thee, and turn not to the right hand 
nor to the left, but fly and go by a direct way, that 
thou mayest preserve the command of the Mighty 
One, according as I said unto thee." 

LXXVIII.-LXXXVI. The Epistle of Baruch, 
the Son of Neriah, which he wrote to the 
nine and a half Tribes. 

LXXVIII. These are the words of that epistle 
which Baruch, the son of Neriah, sent to the nine and 
a half tribes, which were across the river Euphrates, 
in which these things were written. 2. Thus saith 
Baruch, the son of Neriah, to the brethren carried 
into captivity : " Mercy and peace. 3. I bear in 
mind, my brethren, the love of Him Who created 
us, Who loved us from of old, and never hated us, 
but above all educated us. 4. And truly I know 
that, behold, all we the twelve tribes are bound by 
one bond, inasmuch as we are born from one father. 
5. Wherefore I have been the more careful to leave 
you the words of this epistle before I die, that ye 
may be comforted regarding the evils which have 
come upon you, and that ye may be grieved also 
regarding the evil that hath befallen your brethren; 
and again, also, that ye may justify His judgement 
which He hath decreed against you that ye should 
be carried away captive — for what ye have suffered 
is dispro portioned to what ye have done — in order 
that, at the last times, ye may be found worthy of 
your fathers. 6. Therefore, if ye consider that ye 
have now suffered those things for your good, that 
ye may not finally be condemned and tormented, 
then ye shall receive eternal hope ; if, above all, ye 
destroy from your heart vain error, on account of 
which ye departed hence. 7. For if ye so do these 
things, He will continually remember you, He Who 



go THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

always promised on our behalf to those who were 
more excellent than we, that He will never forget nor 
forsake us, but with much mercy will gather together 
again those who were dispersed. 

LXXIX. Now, my brethren, learn first what befell 
Zion : how that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, 
came up against us. 2. For we have sinned against 
Him Who made us, and we have not kept the com- 
mandments which He commanded us, yet He hath 
not chastened us as we deserved. 3. For what befell 
you we also suffer in a pre-eminent degree, for it 
befell us also. 

LXXX. And now, my brethren, I make known 
unto you that when the enemy had surrounded the 
city, the angels of the Most High were sent, and 
they overthrew the fortifications of the strong wall, 
and they destroyed the firm iron corners, which 
could not be rooted out. 2. Nevertheless, they hid 
all the vessels of the sanctuary, lest the enemy 
should get possession of them. 3. And when they 
had done these things, they delivered thereupon to 
the enemy the overthrown wall, and the plundered 
house, and the burnt temple, and the people who 
were overcome because they were delivered up, lest 
the enemy should boast and say : ' Thus by force 
have we been able to lay waste even the house of 
the Most High in war/ 4. Your brethren also they 
have bound and led away to Babylon, and have 
caused them to dwell there. 5. But we have been 
left here, being very few. 6. This is the tribulation 
about which I wrote to you. 7. For assuredly I 
know that (the consolation of) the inhabitants of 
Zion consoleth you; so far as ye knew that it was 
prospered (your consolation) was greater than the 
tribulation which ye endured in having departed 
from it. 

LXXXI. But regarding consolation, hear ye the 
word. 2. For I was mourning regarding Zion, and 
I prayed for mercy from the Most High, and I said : 

3. ' How long will these things endure for us? 
And will these evils come upon us always ? 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 91 

4. And the Mighty One did according to the 
multitude of His mercies, 
And the Most High according to the greatness 

of His compassion. 
And He revealed unto me the word that I 

might receive consolation. 
And He showed me visions that I should not 

again endure anguish. 
And He made known to me the mystery of the 

times, 
And the advent of the hours He showed me. 
LXXXII. Therefore, my brethren, I have written 
to you, that ye may comfort yourselves regarding 
the multitude of your tribulations. 2. For know ye 
that our Maker will assuredly avenge us on all our 
enemies, according to all that they have done to us, 
also that the consummation which the Most High 
will make is very high, and His mercy that is coming, 
and the consummation of His judgement, is by no 
means far off. 

3. For lo ! we see now the multitude of the pros- 

perity of the Gentiles, 
Though they act impiously, 
But they shall be like a vapour. 

4. And we behold the multitude of their power, 
Though they do wickedly, 

But they shall be made like unto a drop. 

5. And we see the firmness of their might, 
Though they resist the Mighty One every hour, 
But they shall be accounted as spittle. 

6. And we consider the glory of their greatness, 
Though they do not keep the statutes of the 

Most High, 
But as smoke shall they pass away. 

7. And we meditate on the beauty of their grace- 

fulness, 
Though they have to do with pollutions, 
But as grass that withers shall they fade away. 

8. And we consider the strength of their cruelty, 
Though they remember not the end (thereof), 
But as a wave that passeth shall they be broken, 



92 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

9. And we remark the boastfulness of their might, 
Though they deny the beneficence of God, Who 

gave (it) to them, 
But they shall pass away as a passing cloud. 
LXXXIII. [For the Most High shall assuredly 
hasten His times, 
And He shall assuredly bring on His hours. 

2. And He shall assuredly judge those who are in 

His world, 
And shall visit in truth all things by means of 
all their hidden works. 

3. And He shall assuredlv examine the secret 

thoughts, 
And that which is laid up in the secret chambers 

of all the members of man, 
And shall make (them) manifest in the presence 

of all with reproof. 

4. Let none, therefore, of these present things 
ascend into your hearts; but, above all, let us be 
expectant, because that which is promised to us 
shall come. 5. And let us not now look unto the 
delights of the Gentiles in the present, but let us 
remember what hath been promised to us in the end. 
6. For the ends of the times and of the seasons and 
whatsoever is with them shall assuredly pass by 
together. 7. The consummation, moreover, of the 
age shall then show the great might of its ruler, 
when all things come to judgement. 8. Do ye, 
therefore, prepare your hearts for that which before 
ye believed, lest ye come to be in bondage in both 
worlds, so that ye be led away captive here and be 
tormented there. 9. For (as to) that which existeth 
now, or which hath passed away, or which is to 
come, in all these things, neither is the evil fully 
evil, nor, again, the good fully good. 

10. For all healthinesses of this time are turning 

into diseases, 

11. And all might of this time is turning into 

weakness, 
And all the force of this time is turning into 
impotence, 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 93 

12. And every energy of youth is turning into old 

age and consummation, 
And every beauty of gracefulness of this time is 
turning faded and hateful, 

13. And every proud dominion of the present is 

turning into humiliation and shame, 

14. And every praise of the glory of this time is 

turning into the shame of silence, 
And every vain splendour and insolence of this 
time is turning into voiceless ruin, 

15. And every delight and joy of this time is turning 

to worms and corruption, 

16. And every clamour of the pride of this time is 

turning into dust and stillness, 

17. And every possession of riches of this time is 

being turned into Sheol alone, 

18. And all the rapine of passion of this time is 

turning into involuntary death, 
And every passion of the lusts of this time is 
turning into a judgement of torment ; 

19. And every artifice and craftiness of this time is 

turning into a proof of the truth, 

20. And every sweetness of unguents of this time is 

turning into judgement and condemnation, 

21. And every love of lying is turning to contumely 

through truth. 

22. Since, therefore, all these things are done now, 
doth any one think that they will not be avenged? 
23. But the consummation of all things shall come to 
the truth.] 

LXXXIV. Behold ! I have therefore made known 
unto you (these things) whilst I live ; for I said that 
ye should learn the things that are excellent; for 
the Mighty One hath commanded to instruct you ; 
and I will set before you some of the commandments 
of His judgement before I die. 2. Remember that 
formerly Moses assuredly called heaven and earth to 
witness against you, and said : ■ If ye transgress the 
Law ye shall be dispersed, but if ye keep it ye shall 
be kept.' 3. And other things also he used to say 
unto you when ye, the twelve tribes, were together 



94 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

in the desert. 4. And after his death ye cast them 
away from you; on this account there came upon 
you what had been predicted. 5. And now Moses 
used to tell you before they befell you, and lo ! they 
have befallen you; for you have forsaken the Law. 

6. Lo ! I also say unto you after ye have suffered, 
that if ye obey those things which have been said 
unto you, ye shall receive from the Mighty One 
whatever hath been laid up and reserved for you. 

7. Moreover, let this epistle be for a testimony 
between me and you, that ye may remember the 
commandments of the Mighty One, and that also 
there may be to me a defence in the presence of 
Him Who sent me. 8. And remember ye the Law 
and Zion, and the holy land and your brethren, and 
the covenant of your fathers, and forget not the 
festivals and the sabbaths. 9. And deliver ye this 
epistle and the traditions of the Law to your sons 
after you, as also your fathers delivered (them) to 
you. 10. And at all times make request persever- 
ingly and pray diligently with your whole heart that 
the Mighty One may be reconciled to you, and that 
He may not reckon the multitude of your sins, but 
remember the rectitude of your fathers, n. For if 
He judge us not according to the multitude of His 
mercies, woe unto all us who are born. 

LXXXV. [Know ye, moreover, that 

In former times and in the generations of old 

those our fathers had helpers, 
Righteous men and holy prophets ; 

2. Nay, more, we were in our own land, 
And they helped us when we sinned 

And they interceded for us to Him Who made 

us, 
Because they trusted in their works, 
And the Mighty One heard their prayer and 

forgave us. 

3. But now the righteous have been gathered, 
And the prophets have fallen asleep, 

And we also have gone forth from the land, 
And Zion hath been taken from us ; 



THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 95 

And we have nothing now save the Mighty One 
and His Law. 

4. If, therefore, we direct and dispose our hearts, 
We shall receive everything that we lost, 

And much better things than we lost by many 
times. 

5. For what we have lost was subject to corruption, 
And what we shall receive shall not be corruptible. 

6. Moreover, also, I have written thus to our 

brethren to Babylon, that to them also I may 
attest these very things. 

7. And let all those things aforesaid be always 

before your eyes, 
Because we are still in the spirit and the power 
of our liberty. 

8. Again, moreover, the Most High also is long- 

suffering towards us here, 
And He hath shown to us that which is to be, 
And hath not concealed from us what shall befall 

in the end. 

9. Before, therefore, judgement exact its own, 
And truth that which is its due, 

Let us prepare our soul, 

That we may enter into possession of, and not 

be taken possession of, 
And that we may hope and not be put to shame, 
And that we may rest with our fathers, and not 

be tormented with our enemies. 

10. For the youth of the world is past, 

And the strength of the creation is already 
exhausted, 

And the advent of the times is verv short, 

Yea, they have passed by ; 

And the pitcher is near to the cistern, 

And the ship to the port, 

And the course of the journey to the city, 

And life to (its) consummation. 

n. And, again, prepare your souls, so that when 

ye sail and ascend from the ship ye may have rest, 

and not be condemned when ye depart. 12. For lo ! 

when the Most High shall bring to pass all these things, 



96 THE APOCALYPSE OF BARUCH 

There shall not be there again a place of repent- 
ance, nor a limit to the times, 
Nor a duration for the hours, 
Nor a change of ways, 
Nor place for prayer 
Nor sending of petitions, 
Nor receiving of knowledge, 
Nor giving of love, 
Nor place of repentance for the soul, 
Nor supplication for offences, 
Nor intercession of the fathers, 
Nor prayer of the prophets, 
Nor help of the righteous. 

13. There there is the sentence of corruption, 
The way of fire, 

And the path which bringeth to Gehenna. 

14. On this account there is one Law by One, 
One age and an end for all who are in it. 

15. Then He will preserve those whom He can forgive, 
And at the same time destroy those who are 

polluted with sins.] 
LXXXVI. When, therefore, ye receive this my 
epistle, read it in your congregations with care. 
2. And meditate thereon, above all on the days of 
your fasts. 3. And bear me in mind by means of 
this epistle, as I also bear you in mind in it, and 
always fare ye well/' 

LXXXVIL The Epistle to the nine and a half 

Tribes is sent. 

LXXXVIL And it came to pass when I had 
ended all the words of this epistle, and had written 
it sedulously to its close, that I folded it, and sealed 
it carefully, and bound it to the neck of the eagle, 
and dismissed and sent it. 

Here endeth the Book of Baruch, the Son 
of Neriah. 



PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY RICHARD CLAY & SONS, LIMITED. 
BRUNSWICK ST., STAMFORD ST., S.E. I, AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK. 



THE ASSUMPTION 
OF MOSES 



TRANSLATED BY 



WILLIAM JOHN FERRAR, M.A. 

X.ATE SCHOLAR OF HERTFORD COLLEGE, OXFORD 
VICAR OF EAST FINCHLEY 



WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES 



SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING 
CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE 

LONDON: 68, HAYMARKET, S.W. i. 
NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

1918 



First published 191 7. 
Reprinted, with a few corrections, 19 18. 



TRANSLATIONS OF EARLY DOCUMENTS 

SERIES I 

PALESTINIAN JEWISH TEXTS 

(PRE-RABBINIC) 



THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 



INTRODUCTION 

The Composition of the Book 

The book before us provides a problem for 
scholars. It is called " The Assumption of 
Moses," but the portion remaining, which ends 
in the middle of a sentence, does not contain 
an account of the Assumption, nor the incidents 
quoted in St. Jude and elsewhere. The book 
from which these were taken, containing the 
dispute about the body of Moses, seems to have 
been concerned only with Moses himself, whereas 
our " Assumption " is mainly his prophecy of 
the vicissitudes of the chosen people. Canon 
Charles holds that we have the remaining portion 
of a composite work, which combined the " Testa- 
ment of Moses " with the " Assumption " proper. 
Our book is a " Testament " like the Testaments 
of the Twelve Patriarchs, a prophetic utterance 
rather than an historical account of what happened 
to an individual. Prof. F. C. Burkitt, in his 
article in Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible, con- 
tinues to regard our book as the " Assumption/' 

5 



6 INTRODUCTION 

and supposes that there was once an appendix 
which contained the actual " Assumption/' and 
the dispute between Satan and Michael and the 
other incidents of the legend. This Appendix, 
save for the quotations referred to, is lost. Prof. 
Burkitt leaves it an open question whether this 
Appendix was ever translated with the body of 
the book into Latin, and suggests a possible 
parallel in the transmission of the Epistle of 
Barnabas, where the Greek MSS. give chapters 
xviii.-xxi. probably from the " Two Ways," 
which are not found in the Latin. Schurer 
regards the " Testament " and the " Assump- 
tion/' as mentioned in the Apocryphal lists, as 
" two separate divisions of one and the same 
work," not as writings originally independent, 
combined, as Canon Charles thinks, by a later 
editor. 

Canon Charles argues : (i) That an examina- 
tion of the quotations in Jude, Clement of Alex- 
andria, and elsewhere, suggests the true " order 
of action " in the actual " Assumption " ; it was 
wholly connected with Moses as an individual, 
and not with the future of the Jewish people, 
(ii) That in the " Testament," as we have it, 
Moses is contemplated as about to die the common 
death of all men, not that of an Elijah : e. g. i. 15, 



INTRODUCTION 7 

" I am passing away to sleep with my forefathers 
even in the presence of all the people " (cf. x. 14; 
hi. 13). There is one passage, x. 12, where we 
have " receptione," but it stands in apposition 
with " morte," and may easily, as Canon Charles 
argues, have been introduced by a later editor 
as one of the links connecting the- two writings. 



History of Transmission 

There is only one MS. of our text. It was 
discovered in the Ambrosian Library at Milan 
by Ceriani, and published by him in 1864 (Monu- 
menta sacra et prof ana, vol. i. fasc. i. pp. 55-64) ; 
it appears to date from the sixth century. 
The text is imperfect and corrupt, owing probably 
to the carelessness and ignorance of transcribers. 
It shows to the satisfaction of all scholars that 
it is a translation of a Greek original, as is also 
proved by the fragments in Greek quoted from 
the lost parts of the book. Hilgenfeld supposed 
that the Greek was the original, but it is now 
considered certain that it was first written either 
in Hebrew or in Aramaic, and translated into 
Greek. Prof. Charles argues for a Hebrew 
original from which the Greek was translated, 
and satisfactorily explains some evident corrup- 



8 INTRODUCTION 

tions in the text, by showing that they arose 
from a misconception of the meaning of the 
Hebrew, or a misreading of it (e. g. iv. 9), where 
the supposition of an Aramaic original would 
not help. 

It is therefore concluded that the whole work, 
of which we have a part in Latin, was originally 
written in Hebrew, translated into Greek, and 
retranslated into Latin. 

The text of the " Assumption " is very im- 
perfect ; there are many lacunce. The Latin shows 
the peculiarities of first-century Latin and the 
ignorance and carelessness of transcribers. Thus 
(i) we have wrong case-endings ; e. g. profetis 
for profetiis, patruum for patrum, voluntatem for 
voluntate. (ii) Wrong tense-endings, especially 
present for future ; e. g. discedis, recipit for 
discedes and recipiet. (iii) Anomalous use of 
prepositions; e.g. de, and sine with Accusative, 
and secus with Ace, meaning " according to." 
(iv) Here and there the construction breaks 
down ; and there is an obvious " doublet " in chap, 
v. 6. (v) Traces of the Greek translation remain 
in thlipsis, acrosisam, scene, and occasionally the 
Greek is not understood ; e. g. chap. ii. 7 adcedent 
ad testamentum Domini et finem polluent. Canon 
Charles also detects important misapprehensions 



INTRODUCTION 9 

by the Greek translator of the meaning of the 
original Hebrew; e.g. chap. xi. 12 potero, vii. 4 
tram, v. 5 qui enirn magistri. (vi) There are many 
mistakes in transcription such as donarent for 
dominarenty sub nullo for sub annulo, etc. 



Date and Nature of Book 

Internal evidence enables Canon Charles to 
date the book between a.d. 7 and a.d. 30. The 
allusions to the Temple sacrifices, and the religious 
outlook generally make it certain that it was 
written long before the destruction of Jerusalem 
in a.d. 70. Then we have (vi. 6) Herod the 
Great dead, and the War of Varus past (vi. 9), 
which took place in 3 B.C. In vi. 7 we read " And 
he (Herod) shall beget sons that shall succeed 
him and reign for shorter periods/ ' Now these 
children were Archelaus, Philip and Antipas. 
The two latter ruled longer than Herod, and had 
exceeded the length of his reign by a.d. 30. So 
we have that date as the extreme limit. But 
Archelaus was deposed in a.d. 6, and it seems 
reasonable to think that this fact was fresh in 
the writer's mind when he wrote of " shorter 
periods." So that we incline very much to a 
date near a.d. 7 rather than a.d. 30, 



io INTRODUCTION 

If this be so, it was actually written in our 
Lord's childhood, and presents a picture of one 
side of the world of thought into which He was 
born. At the later limit its date would coincide 
with His ministry, and would represent what 
many of those whom He addressed were think- 
ing, the range of ideas with which they con- 
sciously or unconsciously connected His teaching, 
His claims and His Personality. This book is 
extraordinarily representative, therefore, of a 
whole range of Jewish writings, which give the 
background, fill up the foreground, and adjust 
the perspective of what we learn from the Gospel 
story. It was of the age of the men who brushed 
against the disciples in the streets of Jerusalem. 
Its attitude to the Jewish past, its vision of 
the future, its quietism, its idealism, its veiled 
allusions and fierce attacks were, no doubt, 
discussed in the Temple Courts, and not incon- 
ceivably formed the subject of the questions of 
the Divine Child, when He tarried behind at 
Jerusalem with the Doctors. In it we have a 
photograph, not a mere literary reproduction, 
of the way in which the minds of a whole circle of 
pious men were moving in those central years of 
all history in the very nest whence the new and 
redeeming Forces were emerging. We can by its 



INTRODUCTION n 

aid envisage something of the world which Jesus 
knew, whose Messiah He knew Himself to be. 

The Writer 

The writer is styled by Canon Charles " a 
Pharisaic Quietist," and Prof. Burkitt agrees to 
this description of his mental and political atti- 
tude. That is to say, he is a descendant of the 
ancient " righteous/' who were content to rest 
upon God, to do His will, and not to attempt to 
work national deliverance by force. We should 
hardly have realized the strength of the party 
represented by the writer, but for the recovery 
of his book. And when we remember how much 
his point of view agrees with that of our Lord 
Himself in the presentation of God's purposes, 
and generally with His teaching in the Sermon 
on the Mount, it must be felt that what he says 
must be of exceptional importance. 

Of course he has been claimed for other Jewish 
sects. But (i) he is certainly not a Sadducee, 
for he dissents from their whole point of view 
with regard to the hereafter, expecting as he 
does the direct and catastrophic intervention of 
God, the triumphant vindication of the righteous, 
and their exaltation to heaven (x. 9, 10). He 
bitterly attacks their policy, and the way they 



12 INTRODUCTION 

had used, and were using, their political and 
ecclesiastical pre-eminence. He is doctrinally, 
morally, and politically opposed to them, (ii) 
Nor is he attached to the Zealots. It is strange 
to find in a prophetic review of the national 
history his view of the Maccabees, and only 
disparaging allusions to the greatest figures of 
Jewish patriotism in post-exilic times. He can 
actually pass over the great national hero Judas in 
severe silence. The silence is eloquent enough to 
refute Dillmann and Schiirer, who would rank him 
with the Zealots, (iii) Nor does he belong to the 
Essenes, to whom his quietistic character might 
seem to affiliate him. His devotion to the Temple, 
and his enthusiasm for its sacrifices is sufficient 
to dispose of the suggestion, for the Essenes 
severed themselves almost completely from the 
Temple worship and the sacrificial system. 1 

We have, then, the work of a Pharisee, devoted 
to the Temple and the Law, seeing in his country's 
history a series of punishments and trials, but 
assured of a triumphant coming vindication of 
the righteous by God Himself. This vindication 
is not to be carried through by the agency of a 
Messiah. It is suggested by Charles that this is 

1 They did not offer sacrifice, but sent offerings to the 
temple (Oesterley, Books of the Apocrypha, p. 44), 



INTRODUCTION 15 

The " Assumption " and the New 

Testament 

Charles considers that the Testament and the 
Assumption were made one book early enough 
in the first century to enable the writer of Jude 9 
to quote a verse from the latter, for he also quotes 
from the Greek version of the former, i. e. the 
Testament, in verse 16 : 

yoyyvoxai, juejuyjijucogoL 
xara rag ijiidvjutag avxcov TtoQsvojusvor 
xal to oxofia avxcov lalel vnsQoyxa 
davjud£ovxeg nQoooma, dxpskeiag %aqiv 

which seems without any doubt to be reproduced 
from Assumption vii. 7, querulosi; 

vii. 9, et manus eorum, et mentes eorum 
immunda tractantes, et os eorum loquetur in- 
gentia ; 

and v. 5, mirantes personas cupiditatum et 
acceptiones munerum. 

Also the aoeflelg of Jude 4 are the impii of Ass. 
Moys. viii. 3 and 7; cf. Jude 18 and Ass. vii. 1. 

The Second Epistle of Peter shows two striking 
resemblances, i. e. : 

2 Pet. ii. 13, fjdovrjv r\yovfievoi rrjv iv rjjuega 
XQVcpr]v, and evrgvcpcovrsg iv xalg aydnatQ 
avrcov ovvevco%ovjuevoi v/uv. 



16 INTRODUCTION 

which seems to reproduce 

Ass. vii. 5, omni hora diei amantes con vivia, 

and 

Ass. vii. 8, habebimus discubitiones et luxu- 
riam. 

Acts vii. 36, noitfoag regard xal orjjuela ev rfj 
3 Aiyvnrco xal ev 'EgvOga OaMoorj xal ev 
rfj egrj/uq) err/ reooagaxovra 

seems to be more than an echo of Ass. iii. n : 
" Moyses . . . qui multa passus est in ^Egypto, 
et in mari rubro, et in heremo XL annos." 

The beautiful apocalyptic passage of chap, x., in 
its enumeration of the signs of the end, seems to 
provide the very eschatological material which 
our Lord Himself adopted in His own prophecy 
of the last things (Matt. xxiv. 29; Mark xiii. 24; 
Luke xxi. 25, 26). The physical phenomena 
include the earthquake, the fall of mountains 
and of valleys, the darkening of the sun, the 
breaking of the horns of the moon, the turning 
of the moon to blood, the disorder of the heavenly 
bodies, and the vanishing of the sea into the 
abyss. This is almost verbally reproduced in 
Matt. xxiv. 29. In Rev. vi. 12-17, again, we have 
the same order of ideas — the sun " black as 
sackcloth of hair," the moon blood, the falling 



INTRODUCTION 13 

because the figure of Messiah had become asso- 
ciated with warlike nationalist ideas, and 
therefore was disliked by the quietist mind. 

We have a Pharisee whose doctrine of grace 
and good works seems more in harmony with 
that of St. Paul than with that of the Pharisaic 
opponents of St. Paul in the missionary world. 
The Jew has no merit for his works, all comes 
to him from the favour of God. The Jewish 
nation is elected not for its merit, but because 
it was God's pleasure to elect it (xii. 7, 8). 
Though, as Charles notes, the proudly self-satisfied 
utterance, " Ye see and know, that neither your 
parents nor their forefathers ever tempted God, 
in transgressing His commands. And ye know 
how that this is our strength " (ix. 4, 5), 
seems to introduce a note of discord into a 
coherent theology. Charles regards the object 
of the book to be a direct protest against the 
change that had come over the Pharisaic spirit 
of his time. It was secularized, " fused with 
political ideals and popular Messianic beliefs/' 
The writer v/ished to call it back to its early 
purity, and to the trust that God would Himself 
bring about a national and complete restoration — 
even of the ten tribes. Therefore he exalted 
Eleazar the patient martyr rather than the 



14 INTRODUCTION 

militant Judas Maccabaeus. " He but played 
afresh the part of a Cassandra. The leavening 
of Pharisaism with earthly political ideals went on 
apace, and the movement thus initiated culmin- 
ated finally in the destruction of Jerusalem by the 
Romans in a.d. 70 " (Charles, The Apocrypha 
and Pseudepigrapha of the 0. T., II. p. 407). 

The writer, again, holds an exclusive particu- 
laristic view of the relation of God to the chosen 
people. The world was created to be the scene 
of God's Covenant with Israel. Moses was pre- 
pared before the Creation to be the Mediator of 
God's Covenant; in his life he acted as their 
intercessor with God, and after his death his 
intercession was continued. In spite of appear- 
ances the Will of God must triumph, and God 
would Himself crown a united Israel by exalting 
the faithful to heaven, whence they would look 
down in disdain upon their enemies. Such is 
the continued and typically Jewish note of faith 
in God's promises to Israel carried on from the 
Prophets of the Old Testament, and by no means 
abolished in the prophetic outlook of the con- 
verted Saul of Tarsus in the Epistle to the 
Romans, where it blends as a necessary element 
in God's whole purpose for the world. 



INTRODUCTION 17 

of stars, the moving of mountains and rocks. 
Dr. W. O. E. Oesterley in his Doctrine of the Last V 
Things (Murray, 1908), chap, v., has collected a 
number of similar apocalyptic passages describing 
the disturbance of the physical world before 
the end (e. g. Ethiopic Enoch i. 5-7 ; Apocalypse 
of Noah lxxx. 4-8 ; Test. xii. Patr. ; Levi iv. 1 ; 
Jubilees xxiii. 12), with which he compares 
Isa. ii. 19 ; xiii. 10 ; Ezek. xxxii. 7 ; and Joel ii. 10 ; 
iii. 4; xiii. 10. The similarities of such passages 
in tone and actual expression seem to show that 
there was a floating body of apocalyptic matter 
in existence, well known to the popular mind, 
which writers made use of, quoting it as we 
quote Scripture or a poet. It had practically 
worked itself into the texture of ordinary thought, 
and its recital by a prophet awaked naturally 
in his hearers a vague and massive sense of 
awful disaster. In such a way we must explain 
our Lord's literal adoption of apocalyptic language 
of such a stereotyped nature. It is almost 
impossible not to think that he had actually 
seen chap. x. of the Assumption, so exact is the 
reproduction in the Gospels. As this poetical 
passage shines out somewhat like a gem on the 
prose of the Assumption, it occurs to one as 
probable that it was a current apocalyptic pro- 
phecy, very widely circulated, which the writer 

B 



18 INTRODUCTION 

incorporated in his book with some share of the 
design and spirit with which our Lord adopted 
its language in His prophecy. 

There is no doubt that the substantial and 
even verbal identity of parts of our Lord's 
apocalyptic prophecy with such extra-canonical 
writings as the one we are considering, must be 
most striking and possibly disturbing to the 
pious mind. The increased knowledge of the 
ideas current in our Lord's time in the Jewish 
world have raised the question, which is perhaps 
the most important one with which theology 
has had to deal of late, of the real significance, 
in the light of His earthly environment, of His 
apocalyptic utterances. In this is involved the 
evolution of a true Christology. It is not the 
place here to enter upon this absorbing task. 
Only it should be pointed out that the passage 
before us which is typical of many contem- 
poraneous eschatological prophecies has a by no 
means unimportant place in deciding how our 
Lord envisaged the last things in relation to 
Himself and His Mission. 



The following translation is made from Clemen's 
Latin text published in Lietzmann's Kleine Texte 
(1904). 



THE ASSUMPTION OF 

MOSES 



I. 1-18. Moses, about to die, appoints 
Joshua as his successor, delivering to 
him the books to bury safely. 

I. i. [The book of the prophecy of Moses, 
which was made in the one hundred and twentieth 
year of his life,] 1 2. That is two thousand five 
hundred years from the Creation of the world; 
3. Or, according to Eastern reckoning, two 
thousand seven hundred years, 2 and four hundred 3 
from the exodus from Phoenicia, 4. When the 
people had gone forth after the exodus that was 
made by Moses to Amman 4 beyond the Jordan, 5 

1 The opening words are lost. Above is Clemen's 
restoration. Charles from analogy of Test. xii. Patr. 
reads : Testamentum Moysi, quae praecepit ano vitae 
ejus Cmo et XXmo." 

2 As emended by Charles and Clemen. 

3 Exod. xii. 40 (Mass. text), gives 430 years. Gen. 
xv. 13 can mean either 400 or 430; cf. Acts vii. 6. 

4 Amman — in the tribe of Gad. 

5 Note Gentile adaptations in the passage. Moses could 
not have spoken thus. 

19 



20 THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 

5. The prophecy 1 that was made by Moses in 
the book Deuteronomy, 6. When he called 
unto him Joshua the son of Nun, a man approved 
of the Lord, 7. Who should be the minister of 
the people 2 and of the tabernacle of the testi- 
mony with all its holy things; 8. And should 
bring the people into the land that was given 
to their fathers, 3 9. That it should be given 
to them by the covenant and the oath which 
He spake in the tabernacle to give it by Joshua, 4 
and he spake to Joshua these words : 10. 
Promise 5 to perform with all diligence whatso- 
ever thou hast been commanded, that thou 
mayest so act as to be blameless before God. 6 
11. These things said the Lord of the world. 
For He created the world on account of His own 
people, 13. Though He began not to make 

1 " profetiae " = " profetia," as often in late Latin. 

2 " successor plebi " : evidently equivalent oi 
StaSoxos, chief minister of the king in LXX (1 Chron. 
xviii. 17; 2 Chron. xxvi. 11). Used of Joshua (Josh, 
i. 1). See Num. xi. 28 and viii. 26. 

3 " patribus/' emended by Charles from " ex tribus." 

4 See Deut. xxxi. 14, 20 and 23. Text ' ' de Josum," 
for agent. 

5 " Et promitte." Charles emends " (Be strong) and 
of a good courage." 

6 Charles emends " sis deo " for " est ideo." Clemen 
puts stop at " est/' and reads "is blameless. Thereforth 
thus saith . . ." 



THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 21 

manifest this purpose x of creation from the 
beginning of the world, that the Gentiles might 
be confounded on the matter, and to their shame 
might confound one another in arguments. 
14. And so He planned and ordained me, who 
before of old was prepared to be the mediator 
of His covenant. 2 15. And now I tell you that 
the time of the years of my life is finished and 
I pass to sleep with my fathers in the sight of 
all the people. 3 . . . 16. And read thou 4 this 
writing that thou mayest have regard to the 
safe-keeping of the books, 5 17. Which I shall 
deliver thee, which thou shalt arrange and smear 
with oil of cedar, and lay up in vessels of earthen- 
ware in the place which God made from the / 
beginning of the creation of the world, 18. That 
His Name might be called on (there) even to 

1 " inceptionem." As to the idea Charles says, "the 
prevalent Jewish view from the first century onwards; 
cf. 4 Ezra vi. 55, 59; vii. 11; 2 Baruch xiv. 18." 

2 Quoted by Gelasius of Cyzicum (Co mm. Act. Syn 
Nic. ii. 18). Note that Moses is regarded as pre- 
existent. The title " mediator " is not given to him 
in the Old Testament. It is implied in Heb. viii. 6; 
ix. 5 ; xii. 24, and is common in writings of the first 
century a.d. 

3 There is no suggestion of an x\ssumption here, 

4 Charles supplies " tu. M 
6 i.e. The Pentateuch. 



22 THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 

the day of repentance in the visitation, 1 where- 
with the Lord will visit them in the consummation 
of the end of the days. 

II. 1-9. Prophecy of the taking of Canaan, 
the Judges, and the Kings, to the revolt 
of the ten tribes, and the beginning of 
idolatry. 

II. 1. ... 2 they shall go by thee into the land, 
which He decreed and promised to give to their 
fathers, 2. In which thou shalt bless them, and 
shalt give and establish to each one his portion 
in me, 3 and shalt establish for them a kingdom, 
and shalt set 4 lawgivers over their districts, 5 
according to that which shall please the Lord 
in righteousness and judgement. 3. . . . 6 And, 
when they shall have entered into the land [five] 
years, afterwards chiefs and kings shall have the 

1 Cf. Luke i. 79; xix. 44 (the coming of the King- 
dom). 

2 Charles supplies " et nunc." 

3 Cf. 2 Sam. xx. 1. 

4 " drniittes." 

5 " magisteria locorum." Charles translates " pre- 
fectures " and compares Deut. xvi. 18; 1 Chron. xxiii. 

4- 

6 Charles supplies " And it shall come to pass " and 

" five." 



THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 23 

dominion for eighteen years, 1 and for nineteen 
years the ten tribes shall break off from them, 2 

4. For the two 3 tribes shall depart, and transfer 
the tabernacle of the testimony. 4 Then the 
God of heaven shall build the wall 5 of His taber- 
nacle, and the tower 6 of His sanctuary, and the 
two tribes of His holiness shall be placed there; 

5. For the ten tribes shall establish their kingdom 
according to their devices; 6. And they shall 
bring their victims to the altar for twenty 7 years ; 
7. And seven 8 shall entrench the walls, and I 
will protect nine, and four shall transgress the 9 

1 A year stands for a period of rule. Thus the fifteen 
judges, and Saul, David and Solomon are the " eighteen 
years." And the kings from Rehoboam to Hoshea 
the " nineteen years." 

2 Text is " abrumpent tib." Charles emends " se 
abrumpent tribus." 

3 Charles emends to " twelve." 

4 Text " testimony of the tabernacle.' ' 

5 Text has " palam." Charles emends to " aulam." 
Clemen " palum." 

8 Text " ferrum." Charles emends to " turrem " : 
quoting 1 Enoch lxxxix. 50, 67, 73. 

7 i. e. the twenty kings of Judah including Athaliah. 

8 The " seven " are Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehosha- 
phat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah. 

The ' nine " are Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, 
Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah; and the 
" four " Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. 

9 Text " adcedent ad," i.e. ir P oa^(rourai, which the 
Greek translator mistook for irapap-haovrai (Charles). 



24 THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 

covenant of the Lord, and profane the oath, 1 
which the Lord made with them. 8. And they 
shall sacrifice their children to strange gods, and 
shall set up idols in the tabernacle 2 to serve 
them. 9. And they shall work abomination in 
the house of the Lord, and grave every kind 3 of 
beast even many idols. 

III. 1-14. The Captivity under Nebuchad- 
nezzar, and the united prayer of the 
divided tribes in their Captivity. 

III. 1. . . . 4 in those times shall come on 
them a king from the East, 5 and his horsemen shall 
cover their land, 2. And shall burn their " col- 
ony " 6 with fire with the holy temple of the Lord 
and he shall take away all the holy vessels; 7 
3. And he shall drive out all the people, and lead 
them into his own land, even the two tribes shall 

1 Text is " finem," i. e. Greek '6pov corrupt for opnov 

(Charles) . 

2 " idola scenae," for " scena." Clemen emends 

" idola obscena," with Ronsch. 

3 Text " omnem ammaHum." Charles supplies 
" similitudinem. ,, 

4 Supply " et." 5 Nebuchadnezzar, 586 B.C. 

6 If this word is to be taken literally, the Latin 
translation must have been made after a.d. 135, when 
Hadrian made Jerusalem a Roman " colony." 

' 2 Chron. xxxvi. 7. 



THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 25 

he lead with him. 4. Then the two tribes shall 
call on the ten tribes and shall be led 1 like a 
lioness on the dusty plains hungering and thirst- 
ing with their little children, 5. And they shall 
cry : " Righteous and holy is the Lord, inasmuch 
as ye have sinned, and we likewise are led into 
captivity with you/' 6. Then the ten tribes 
shall wail when they hear the reproachful words 
of the two tribes, 7. And shall say : " What 
have we done unto you, brethren ? Hath not 
this tribulation fallen on the whole house of 
Israel ? " 8. And all the tribes shall wail, crying 
to heaven and saying : 9. " God of Abraham, God 
of Isaac, God of Jacob, remember Thy coven- 
ant which Thou madest with them, and the oath, 
which Thou swarest unto them by Thyself, that 
their seed should never fail from the land, which 
Thou ga vest them/' 10. Then shall they remem- 
ber me on that day saying one tribe to another 
and each man to his neighbour : 11. " Lo ! is 
not this that which Moses did once declare unto 
us in prophecies, who suffered many things in 
Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the desert 
forty years? 2 12. Yea, he declared and called 

1 Text is " ducent se." Charles suggests a corruption, 
of axOtffovTai (will be angry) into axdr,<joi'rcu, 
? Acts vii. 36, 



26 THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 

heaven and earth to witness against us, that we 
should not transgress the commandments of the 
Lord, of which he was the mediator to us. 13. 
And these things 1 have come upon us from him 
according to his words, and according to his 
assurance, as he bore witness to us in those times, 
yea, they have been fulfilled even to our being 
led captive into the East ? " 14. And these 
shall be in captivity about seventy-seven years. 2 

IV. 1-9. The Prayer of Daniel, and the 
Return of the two tribes. 

IV. 1. Then one 3 shall enter, that shall be over 
them, and he shall spread forth his hands, and 
kneel upon his knees and pray for them saying : 
2. " Lord of all, King on Thy lofty seat, That 
rulest over the world, That didst will that this 
people should be unto Thee a peculiar people, 
and Thou didst will to be called their God accord- 
ing to the Covenant, which Thou madest with 
their fathers. 3. And they went as captives 

1 " Quae " corrupt for " ecce ea " (Charles). 

2 Charles suggests that this means " an indefinite 
period," cf. Matt, xviii. 22. It modifies Jer. xxv. 11, 
which is interpreted by Daniel ix. 24 as seventy weeks of 
years, i.e. 490, 

8 Daniel. 



THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 27 

to a strange land with their wives and children, 
and around 1 the gates of strangers, and where 
there is great vanity; 2 4. Have respect unto 
them and pity them, O Lord of heaven." 5. 
Then God will remember them because of the 
covenant, which He made with their fathers and 
will show forth His mercy also in those times. 
6. And He will put it into the mind of a king 3 to 
have pity on them, and he shall send them back 
to their own land and country. 7. Then shall 
some part of the tribes go up and come to the 
place appointed for them and shall entrench the 
place anew. 8. And the two tribes shall remain 
in the faith laid down for them, sad and groaning, 
because they cannot offer sacrifice to the Lord 
God of their fathers. 4 9. And the ten tribes 
shall increase and spread among 5 the Gentiles 
in the time of their tribulation. 



1 Text " circa." 

2 Text " majestas," Clemen and Charles ixaraUr-ns ; 
through /j.€ya\€i6rr]s (Charles) . 

3 Cyrus, Ezra i. 1-4. 

4 Charles notes the low value set on the worship of 
the restored temple ; cf. 2 Bar. lxviii. 5,6; Hag. ii. 3 ; 
Ezra iii. 12; Mai. i. 7. 

5 Text " devenient apud natos in tempore tribuum 
(tribum). ,J Charles supposes a corruption of the Hebrew 
text, and makes " devenient " = " multiplicabuntur. ,> 
" Natos" is for "nationes." He translates "devenient 



) r 



28 THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 

V. 1-6. Idolatry of the Priests under Antio- 
chus and the Hellenizers. 

V. I. And when the day of reckoning shall 
draw nigh, and vengeance shall arise at the hand 
of the kings 1 who are partakers of their evil 
deeds, and punishers of them, 2. They themselves 
also shall be divided as to the truth, 3. Accord- 
ing as it hath been said : 2 " They shall turn 
aside from righteousness, and approach to ini- 
quity, and shall defile with pollutions 3 the house 
of their captivity, and shall lust after strange gods/' 
4. For they shall forsake the truth of God ; but 
there shall be those who shall pollute the altar . . 
even with their gifts, 4 which they offer to the Lord 
not being priests, but slaves born of slaves. 5 
And those who are their lawgivers, 5 their teachers 



by "will be multiplied,' ' and "tribum" by "captivity/ 
"increase and multiply among the nations in the time 
of their captivity." 

1 " de reges." 

2 " fatum tat," for " factum fuit." 

3 " kigenationibus." 

4 Charles supplies " ipsis." He refers this to the 
Hellenizing High-priests Jason and Menelaus, who 
preceded the Maccabees; the latter was a Benjamite. 
Cf. 2 Mace. iv. 13, 19, 20; v. 8, and iii. 4; iv. 23. 

5 "Qui enim magistri sunt," emended by Charles to 
" the many " or "the Rabbis," 



THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 29 

in those days shall have respect unto men's 
persons for reward and receive gifts and pervert 
justice by receiving bribes. 1 6. And it shall 
come to pass that the whole colony and the bounds 
of their habitations shall be filled with sins and 
iniquities . , . their judges 2 shall be those who 
work unrighteousness against the Lord, and they 
shall give judgement for money according as 
each man desireth. 3 



VI. 1-9. The evil Hasmonaeans, and the 
reign of Herod — Conquest by Varus 

[B.C. 4]. 

VI. i. Then shall arise over them kings 4 to 
reign and they shall be called priests of the Most 

1 " Erunt mirantes personas cupiditatum et accep- 
tiones munerum et pervendent justitias accipiendo 
poenas." Charles emends " accipientes," translates 
" personas cupiditatum " " desirable persons/' puts 
", pervertent " for "pervendent," and brackets "acci- 
piendo poenas " as a gloss. 

2 The " dittography " in the text is obvious. " A 
deo ut qui facit erunt impii judices " and " a domino 
qui faciunt erunt impii judices/ ' " the first and inferior 
version was intended to be deleted " (Charles). 

' inerunt in campo judicare." Charles supposes eV 

ayp$ a mistake for eV apyvpcv. 

* The Maccabees. Jonathan High-priest, 153 b.c 
Omce hereditary, 141 b.c. 



4 



30 THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 

High God, and they shall verily work impiety in 
the Holy of Holies. 2. And to them shall succeed 
a self-willed king, 1 who shall not be of the priestly 
line, a rash and wicked man, and he shall judge 
them as they deserve. 3. He shall cut off their 
chief men with the sword and bury 2 them in 
unknown places, so that no man may know where 
their bodies rest. 4. He shall slay old men and 
young men and shall not spare. 5. Then shall 
there be bitter fear of him among them in their 
land, 6. And he shall execute judgement 
upon them, as did the Egyptians, for thirty and 
four years, and shall punish them. ... 7. And 
he shall beget sons that shall succeed him and 
reign for shorter periods. 3 8. Into their parts 4 
shall come the strong 5 and a mighty Western 6 

1 " rex petulans," i. e. Herod the Great. 

2 Text " singuM." Clemen emends to " sepeliet." 
Charles " stinguet." 

3 Text " . . . et . . . roducit natos . . . eccedentes 
sibi breviora tempora donarent." Charles ' et pro- 
ducet natos qui succedentes sibi breviora tempora 
dominarent." So Clemen. Herod reigned 34 years, 
Antipas 43, Philip 37. See Introduction, p. 9. 

4 Text " pares.' ' 

5 Text " mortis," emended '• fortes " (Clemen), " co- 
hortes " (Charles). 

6 " occidentes." P. Quinctilius Varus, Governor of 
Syria, quelled a rebellion in 4 B.C. (Jos. Ant. xvii. 10, 1 
sqq.). 



THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 31 

king, who shall conquer them, 9. And lead them 
captive and burn part of their temple with fire, 
and crucify some around their " colony." 

VII. 1-10. The Rulers of the Writer's own 

time. 

VII. 1. And after this the times shall be 
finished, in a moment shall follow the second 
course 1 . . . the four hours shall come. 2. They 
shall be forced 2 . ... 3. And in their day shall 
reign pestilent and impious men claiming to be 
righteous. 3 4. And these shall excite the wrath of 
their own friends, 4 who will be cunning men, 
deceitful in all their own affairs, and at every 
hour of the day bent on feasting, 5. Gluttons, 
gourmands ... 6. Devourers of poor men's 5 
goods and saying that they do these things for 
mercy's 6 sake ... 7. So that they may de- 

1 Text "■ momento . . . etur cursus a . . ." Merx 
" sequetur." Charles " finietur," " alter " for "a." 

2 This verse " defies translation " (Charles). 

3 Charles refers this attack to the Sadducees, com- 
paring Pss. of Solomon. 

4 Text " animorum " emended by Clemen to " ami- 
corum." Charles retains " animorum/' but makes 

' viam ' a mistranslation of the Hebrew (Greek Uv, 
poison). 

5 (paup-Jerum." A hopeless lacuna precedes. 

6 " misericordiam ; " Charles " justice. ,> 



32 THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 

stroy them, querulous, 1 false, hiding themselves 
so as not to be known, impious in sin, and full 
of iniquity from sunrise to sunset, saying: 8. 
" Give us banquets and luxury, let us eat and 
drink : and we will reckon ourselves great men/' 
9. And their hands and minds shall traffic with 
the unclean, and their mouth speak great things, 2 
and moreover they shall say : 10. " Touch me 
not, lest thou shouldst pollute me where I * 
stand." 3 . 



• • • 



VIII. 1-5. "The King of the Kings of the 
Earth " will persecute the faithful. 

VIII. i. 4 And so great . . . vengeance and 
wrath shall come on them, such 5 as hath not been 

1 Text " quaeru-. ..." 

2 " ingentia." Cf. Dan. vii. 8, 20; Jude 16. 

3 Again the text is quite hopeless. 

4 Charles considers this " second visitation " can 
only refer to the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, 
and boldly transfers chaps, viii. and ix. to the gap between 
chaps, v. and vi., where such an account is not out of 
place. Burkitt (Hastings, D.B., art. "Assumption of 
Moses ") does not accept this. " The final Theophany (x.) 
comes in very well after the story of the ideal saint, 
Taxo (ix.), and very badly after the description of the 
wicked priests and rulers of chap, vii." He refers it to 
the stories of the Antiochian martyrs. 

* Cf. Matt. xxiv. 21. 



THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 33 

in the land from the beginning even to that time, 
in which God shall raise against them the king 
of the kings of the earth and a potentate of 
mighty power, 1 who will crucify those who 
acknowledge their circumcision, 2. And torture 
those who deny 2 it, and deliver them to be led 
bound to prison, and their wives will be divided 
among the gentiles. 3 3. And their sons will be 
treated by surgeons so as to make circumcision 
of none effect. 4 4. And some of them shall be 
punished by torments and fire and sword, and 
shall be forced to carry 5 their idols publicly, 
as defiled as those who possess them. 5. And 
by their tormentors they shall be forced to enter 
into the hidden place, and they shall be forced 
with goads to blaspheme the sacred word 6 inso- 
lently, yea, and last of all the laws, and what they 
have upon their altar. 7 

1 The Antichrist. Charles "Antiochus IV." 

2 " negantes " for " necantes." " Charles " celantes." 

3 Text " diisdonabuntur." Clemen " disdon./' i. e. 
distributed. Charles " shall be given to the gods 
among the Gentiles/ ' quoting 2 Mace. vi. 4, for Cult of 
Venus. 

4 Cf. Jos. Ant. XII. v. 1 ; 1 Mace. i. 15 ; 1 Cor. vii. 18. 

5 " bajulare," cf. 2 Mace. vi. 7. 

6 Verbum " = \6yos — in late Hebrew. " The person 
of God " (Charles). 

' quod haberent supra altarium suum " — with 
Charles " the sacrifice"; cf. Matt, xxiii. 18. 
c 



f 



34 THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 

IX. 1-7. Taxo (the Ideal Patriot) will 
protest by dying of starvation with 
his sons in the wilderness. 

IX. 1. Then while this man ruleth a man of 
the tribe of Levi whose name will be Taxo, 1 who 
having seven sons shall speak to them and ask 
them : 2. " See ye, my sons, how a second 
cruel and shameless vengeance hath fallen on 
the people, and a punishment without mercy 
beyond the measure of the first ? 2 3. For what 
nation or what country or what people of those 
who disobey the Lord, who have wrought much 
sin, have suffered as much as hath been our 
portion? 4. Now therefore, my sons, listen to 
me : for ye see and know, that neither your 
parents nor their forefathers ever tempted 3 God, 
in transgressing His commands. 5. And ye 
know how that this is our strength. Now let us 
do this : 6. Let us fast three days, and on the 
fourth day let us enter the cave, which is in the 

1 The name Taxo transliterated into Hebrew as 
Taxoc by the use of a common cipher becomes Eleazar 
(2 Mace. vi. 18 sq. and 4 Mace. v. 3). With his story is 
here amalgamated that of the widow's seven sons 
(2 Mace, vii.) ; and his " cave " corresponds to that of 
the Chasids (1 Mace. i. 53; ii. 31). 

2 Text " eminent principatum " read " eminens." 

3 " temptans," corrupt for " temptantes." 



THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 35 

field, and there let us die, rather than transgress 
the commandments of the Lord of Lords, the 
God of our fathers. 7. For if we do this and 
die, our blood shall be avenged in the sight of the 
Lord. 

X. 1-15. The coming of God's Kingdom, 
and the Vindication of the Righteous 
by God Himself. 

X. 1. And then His kingdom shall appear 
through His whole creation. 
And then the devil x shall have an end, 
And sadness shall be taken away with him. 

2. Then the hands of the Angel 2 shall be filled, 
Who is established in the highest, 

Who shall straightway avenge them of 
their adversaries. 

3. . . . For the Heavenly One shall arise from 

the throne of His kingdom, 
And shall come out of His holy habitation 
With indignation and wrath for His children. 

4. And the earth shall quake : even to its 

bounds shall it be shaken : 
And the lofty mountains shall be brought 
low and shall be shaken, 

1 Zabulus. 8 Michael as in Dan. xii. 1, 



J 



36 THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 

And the valleys shall fall. 1 

5. The sun shall not give his light, and the 

horns of the moon shall be turned into 
darkness, 

And they shall be broken, and the whole of 
the moon shall be turned into blood. 2 

And the circuit 3 of the stars shall be dis- 
ordered ; 

6. And the sea shall fall even to the abyss; 
The fountains of waters shall fail, 

And the rivers be afraid. 4 

7. Because the Most High God, the Eternal, 

the Only God shall arise, 
And manifest Himself to punish the nations, 
And to destroy all their idols. 

8. Then shalt thou be happy, thou O Israel, 
And shalt mount on the neck and wings of 

the eagle, 

1 " et concutientur et convalles cadent." . Charles 
reads " et colles concutientur/ ' comparing Isa. xl. 4. 

2 Charles, altering the text translates, " And the horns 
of the sun shall be broken, and he shall be turned into 
darkness; and the moon shall not give her light, and 
be turned wholly into blood. " Cf. Joel ii. 10; hi. 15; 
Isa. xiii. 10; Matt. xxiv. 29; Mark xiii. 24; Luke xxiii. 
45; Acts ii. 20; Rev. vi. 12; ix. 2. 

3 " orbis." N 

4 " expavescent." Charles" exarescent " = " shall dry 

up." 



THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 37 

And (the Days of thy sorrow) shall be ended. 1 
9. And God shall exalt thee, 

And bring thee to the heaven of the stars, 
The place of His habitation. 
10. And thou shalt look 2 from on high, and be- 
hold thy adversaries on the earth, 3 
And shalt know them and rejoice, 
And give thanks, and acknowledge thy 
Creator. 
11. " Now must thou, Joshua son of Nun, 
keep these words and this book; 12. For there 
shall be from my death and assumption 4 even to 
His Coming two hundred and fifty times, 5 which 
shall pass. 13. And this is the course of the 
times 6 . . . which they shall finish, until they 
are consummated. 14. But I go to sleep with my 
fathers : 15. Wherefore be thou, Joshua, son 

1 Supplying " dies luctus tui " (Cheyne). Charles 
suggests, altering text : 

" Thou shalt go up against the eagle, 
And its necks and wings shall be destroyed/ ' 

2 " conspicies " for " conspiges." 

3 Text " in terrain" = yg. Charles very reasonably 
suggests "the valley," i.e. Gehenna; cf. Isa. lxvi. 24; 
1 Enoch xxvii. 2, 3. 

4 "■ receptione " : Charles makes this a gloss by 
the editor. 

5 i. e. 250 year-weeks = 1,750 years. 

6 Text " . . . horum." 



\J 



38 THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 

of Nun, strong; God hath chosen thee in my 
place to be the minister of the same covenant/' 

XI. i -19. Humility of Joshua ; how can ho 
lead so many Israelites ? 

XL 1. And when Joshua had heard the words 
of Moses, which were thus written in his writing, 
even all that he before had said, he rent his clothes 
and fell at his feet. 1 2. And Moses exhorted him, 
and wept with him. 3. And Joshua answered 
him and said : 4. " Why comfortest 2 thou me, 
Lord Moses, and how shall I be comforted, for 
that bitter word thou spakest, which hath gone 
forth from thy mouth, which is full of tears and 
groans, in that thou dost depart from this people 
• . . 5. What place shall receive thee ... 6. 
Or what shall be the monument of thy sepulchre, 
7. Or who shall dare to bear thy body as that of a 
man from one place to another? 8. For to all 
who die there are sepulchres on the earth accord- 
ing to their age ; but thy sepulchre shall be from 
the rising sun to the setting and from the south 
to the bounds of the north, the whole earth shall 
be thy sepulchre. 3 9. O My Lord, thou passest 

1 Text " pedes meos; " Charles " pedes Moysi." 

2 " solares " and " solabor " for " celares " and 
" celabor." 3 Cf. Thuc. ii. 



THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 39 

hence, and who shall feed this people, 10. Or 
who is there to have pity on them, who to lead 
them in the way, n. Or to pray for them, not 
forbearing 1 even for a single day, that I may bring 
them into the land of their forefathers ? 12. How 
shall I govern this people, even as a father his 
only son or a lady her virgin-daughter, 2 prepared 
to be given 3 to a husband, who feareth lest the 
sun light on her body, and lest she should run 
on the ground with unshod feet ?.'.-. 13. How 
shall I provide them with food and drink accord- 
ing to the pleasure of their will ? 4 . . . 14. For 
of them there are 100,000 5 men, since to so great 
a number have they increased through thy 
prayers, my Lord Moses. 15. And what wisdom 
or understanding have I to give judgement or 
to give answers by speech in the house (of the 
Lord) ? 16. Yea, and the kings of the Amorites, 
when they hear that we are attacking them, 
thinking that there is no longer among them a 

1 Text "nee patiens i} = ov5e irapitis — "not omitting" 
(Charles) . 

2 Text " tamquam filiam dominam virginem." Either 
' dominam ' = icvpiav meaning "his own," or change 

to " domina," as above translated. 

3 " dari " for " tali " (Charles). 

4 So Charles, changing " voluntatem voluntatis " to 
" voluptatem voluntatis." 

5 Charles inserts D (600,000) from Exod. xii. 37. 



40 THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 

holy spirit manifold and incomprehensible, worthy 
of the Lord, the master of the Word, faithful in 
all things, the divine prophet x of the earth, and 
the world's perfect teacher — no longer among 
them, will say : ' Let us go against them. 17. If 
their enemies should once now do impious deeds 
against their Lord, they have no champion now 
to bear prayers on their behalf to the Lord, as 
was Moses the great messenger, who every hour 
by day and night had his knees fixed to the ground 
praying and beholding Him Who is omnipotent 
over the world 2 in mercy and justice, reminding 
Him of the covenant of the fathers and by his 
oath propitiating the Lord/ 18. For they will 
say : ' He is no more with them ; let us go and 
confound them from off the face of the earth.' 
19. What then shall happen to thy people, my 
Lord Moses ? " 

XII. 1 -13. Moses encourages Joshua, and 
sets him in his own seat. 

XII. 1. And when Joshua had finished these 
words, he fell again at the feet of Moses. 2. And 

1 Text " divinum . . . profetem." Charles " God's 
chief prophet.' ' 

2 Text " et intnens homini potentem orbem." Charles 
reads, " potentem omnis orbis." Hilgenfeld suggests 
as above " omnipotent em orbem." 



THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 41 

Moses took his hand, and raised him into the seat 
before him. And he answered and said to him : 
3. " Joshua, despise not thyself, 1 but show thyself 
unmoved, and attend to my words. 4. God 
created all the nations, which are on the face of 
the earth, and us as well ; He foresaw them and 
us from the beginning of the creation of the earth 
even to the end of the world, and nothing is 
by Him neglected, however small it be, but He . 
foresaw all things and foreknew 2 . . . 5. All 
things which should be in this world, He foresaw 
and lo ! it is brought forth. ... 6. And me 
He formed to pray for them and for their sins \j 
. . . and to intercede for them. 7. For not 
because of any virtue or strength 3 of mine, but 
of His good pleasure 4 his mercy and patience have 
been mine. 8. Yea I tell thee, Joshua; not 
because of the piety of this people wilt thou 
destroy the nations. 9. All that is in heaven and 
the foundations of the earth were made and 
approved 5 by God, and are beneath the signet 6 

1 "te" for " et." 

2 Text is here very corrupt. Charles reads " pro- 
movit cuncta " = " caused all to come forth." 

3 Text is " infirm^tem." 

4 Text ' temperantius " = 4iri€iK€<rrepov 9 representing 
the Hebrew of above. 5 Text " ut provata." 

6 Text " nullo " emended to " annulo." 



42 THE ASSUMPTION OF MOSES 

of His right hand. 10. They that perform and 
carry out the commandments of God flourish and 
tread a good path; n. But sinners and they 
who neglect His commandments lack the good 
things, 1 which are foretold. And they shall be 
punished by the nations with many torments; 
12. Yet it is not possible that He should wholly 
destroy and forsake 2 them. 13. For God hath 
gone forth, Who foresaw all things from the 
beginning, and His covenant is established even 
by the oath, which . . ." 

1 Text " carer e bonam." 

1 " relinquet." Charles emends to " extinguat." 



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TRANSLATIONS OF 
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A Series of texts important for the study of 
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